Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic
by BKelly95
Summary: A Hawaiian honeymoon goes awry for two Cannonballers. When help is called, a showdown results. Who will prevail in the resulting horsepower war?
1. Wedding Of The Century

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

AN:Welcome to the next ride.  
I thought I'd try a little experiment this time. Instead of several teams of Cannonballers battling each other for the prize, I thought I'd pit two groups of teams against each other. Each has their own goals and of course, cars.  
The subtitle should be a clear indicator as to where this is set. Just to clarify, I will be referring to the largest island, the state's namesake, as the big island. I'm aware that most travel between the individual Hawaiian islands is through air travel and in some cases, ferries. So, I've decided to arrange the race in stages.  
Please read and review. And to any Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day.

Chapter One: Wedding Of The Century

The 2008 Cannonball Run was almost finished. Jill Boyd drove her boyfriend's Toyota MR2 Spyder out of the Lincoln Tunnel. The pearlescent blue sports car was modified with a Kaminari body kit and Konig Helium Silver rims. Jill sat back in the Racetech RT 4000 seat and gripped the Ichibahn IN-D steering wheel as she maneuvered through Manhattan.

"I'm starting to wish we'd brought a bigger car." said her teammate Marcie Thatcher as she changed her outfit in the passenger seat.

"I can put the top down if that helps." said Jill.

"No!" said Marcie. "What if one of our opponents sees us? You'll ruin the surprise."

"Maybe next year, we'll take the Civic." said Jill.

"Hey, do you still have your outfit?" asked Marcie.

"It's in the trunk." said Jill as she pointed to the front of the car.

* * *

Sometime later, Chicago playboy Seymour Drake Jr. drove off of the Queensboro Bridge in a white BMW M3.

"We're almost there." he told his bodyguard Ron Lucas. "I smell victory."

"I smell something alright." said Ron.

As he steered the car down a driveway to a country club, he was passed by a silver Mercedes Benz SLK55 AMG.

"Dammit." he said. "Caught me with my pants down." He then floored the accelerator.

The Mercedes' passenger, businessman Brad Compton, looked over his shoulder and laughed. "He's really mad now." he said.

"Honestly," said the Mercedes' driver, New Zealand-born nightclub owner Danny Mitchell "you have got to be the most immature rich guys in the country."

"This is true." said Brad.

The Drake pressed the BMW's accelerator to the floor and tried to make it around the Mercedes. However, Danny managed to cut him off each time. They made it to another bend in the road and the Drake managed to slip past him.

"Oh!" said Danny. "Now, you're gonna get it."

Danny floored his accelerator and tried to pass the Drake. The Drake was keeping his BMW in the middle of the driveway. He then swerved to the side to avoid hitting a Lexus coming towards him.

"Now's your chance! Go!" yelled Brad.

As Danny was making his move, he was cut off by a black Dodge Stealth which then passed the Drake as well. Behind the wheel was lottery winner Chuck Prescott.

"Ha!" said Chuck's passenger, his wife Betty. "You snooze, you lose!"

The three cars made it to the country club's parking lot and pulled up to a booth where a time clock was set up. Betty was out of the Stealth before it stopped. Race organizer Dennis "Mad Dog" Menesini watched her run for the clock.

The Drake and Danny stopped their cars, but decided not to make an effort to go for the clock since Betty had already ensured victory.

"Truce?" asked Danny.

"Truce." said the Drake. They then shook hands on it.

Betty punched the time card in the clock as Chuck parked the car.

"Nice job." said Mad Dog.

Chuck climbed out of the Stealth and walked over to his wife. "How does it feel to be a winner?" he asked.

"Pretty damn good." said Betty.

"Cool." said Chuck as a yellow '69 Plymouth Road Runner and a red Jaguar XK8 raced into the parking lot.

Former NASCAR mechanic Terry Fletcher and his wife Sarah got out of the Road Runner while perennial least favorites Jamie Blake and Morris Fenderbaum got out of the Jaguar.

A friend of Terry's, former NASCAR driver Mel Sharp, ran over to him.

"Looks like Chuck gets this one." said Terry.

"Yeah, that's not even the big event." said Mel. "You didn't happen to see Jill and Marcie on your way here, did you?"

"No, why do you ask?" asked Terry.

The MR2 pulled into the parking lot along with a black Mitsubishi Galant. Out of the Galant came MIT graduates Jackie Lewis and Michael North.

Jill climbed out of the MR2 and looked at the others mischievously. Then, Marcie climbed out and shocked everyone.

She was wearing a wedding dress.

"Is Monkey here?" she asked.

"He's waiting for you." said Mad Dog.

"Well, that was a shock." said Danny.

"We'll start as soon as everyone's here." said Mad Dog.

A red Mazda MX6 pulled into the lot and stopped. Professional skateboarder Rob Falcon and his bodyguard Big Bison climbed out.

"Whoa." said Rob. "Is this what it looks like?"

"Sure is." said Jill as she took another dress out of the front luggage compartment.

Bison looked around. "Where's J.J?" he asked.

Jill looked around confused.

* * *

Later, the ceremony was getting underway. Mad Dog's friend Wayne "Batman" Bruce was playing a wedding march on his synthesizer. Marcie walked down the aisle while her husband-to-be, auto customizer Monkey Matthews, waited at the altar.

Pamela McClure looked at the two empty spaces next to her where her husband J.J. McClure and his friend Victor Prinsi would be sitting. On the other side of the spaces, Victor's girlfriend Lisa Noble just shrugged.

When Marcie got halfway up the aisle, J.J, Victor, and Rob ran into the church. J.J. and Victor took their seats next to Pamela and Lisa.

"Where were you guys?" asked Pamela.

"Blew the engine outside of Cleveland." said J.J. "We caught a flight here and Rob filled us in on the way from La Guardia."

"Are you alright?" asked Lisa as the justice of the peace started to read off the vows.

"Yeah, but the Camaro's toast." said Victor.

"Do you, Marcie Thatcher, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." said Marcie.

"Do you...Monkey Matthews, take this woman to your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." said Monkey.

"Then by the powers invested in me by the State of New York, I hereby pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The two then kissed and brought out a round of applause from the crowd.

* * *

At the reception, the new bride and groom received congratulations from the various attendees.

"And then all of a sudden, all this white smoke starts to come out of the engine bay." said J.J. "All I could do was pull the car over and pop the hood."

"Wait, you were driving?" asked Lisa. "Didn't you have your license revoked last year?"

"Yeah, we just pretended Victor was driving." said J.J.

"When the cop asked us about the circumstances," said Victor "I just took the blame for it all. It was really the only way."

"Oh, that is so noble of you." said Pamela.

"So, what are you going to do for transportation now?" asked Lisa.

"I guess we're going to have to get a new car." said J.J. "The Camaro's engine is completely shredded. I don't think I can fix it."

Terry was at the buffet table when Monkey's father, used car salesman Claude Matthews, came over to him.

"Fletcher." he said.

"How's your son's wedding?" asked Terry.

"There was a time I never thought I'd see this day." said Claude.

"Yeah, me too." said Terry. "So, what's up?"

"I've got a car you might want to take a look at." said Claude. "It's a classic muscle car. A '69 like the ones you prefer."

"What condition is it in?" asked Terry.

"It's relatively okay." said Claude. "So, what do you say? You want a look?"

"I'll give it a go over." said Terry.

Danny found Mad Dog. "Hey, Mad Dog!" he said.

"Hey, Danny boy." said Mad Dog. "What's the haps?"

"I want to talk business." said Danny.

"How's that?" asked Mad Dog.

"Okay, Jackie told me about the kidnapping attempt." said Danny. "Then, he told me about how Terry was almost kidnapped last year and how Chuck was kidnapped the year before that and how J.J. and Pamela were kidnapped the year before that and the Drake. Needless to say, I'm getting a little nervous."

"What?" asked Mad Dog. "You're afraid you're going to get kidnapped."

"You bet I am." said Danny. "I'm asking you right now. Is there anything in your garage I can use to keep myself safe?"

"I'm just about finishing something up." said Mad Dog. "I'll let you have a look at it when we get the chance."

"Alright." said Danny.

Out on the balcony, Jill's boyfriend Pete Rivers leaned on the railing and looked out at the scenery. His friend Steve Carter walked over.

"Hey, you're not celebrating?" asked Steve.

"I'm still trying to get over the shock." said Pete.

"Yeah, that was kind of alarming." said Steve.

"It's not that." said Pete. "I mean here we are with Marcie and Monkey just going up and getting married like that. It's got me thinking about where I stand with Jill."

"I thought you two were going great." said Steve.

"Yeah, but now she's going to want to step it up a notch." said Pete. "We've been on numerous dates in the past two years. We've seen a couple of movies. Speaking of which, remind me to never again watch something remotely resembling 'Epic Movie'."

"I thought that was a given." said Steve.

"We've supported each other when we race." said Pete. "But we've never really done anything that could be called 'romantic'."

"I think the real problem is that you're doing a lot of things that emphasize the _friend_ in girlfriend." said Steve. "You're doing a lot of things with her you could just as easily do with me."

Pete shot him a strange look.

"You heard me right." said Steve. "What you have is a buddy, not a soulmate. You have to do something to tell Jill 'I'm your man and you're my girl.' 'Cause right now, it's 'We're the dudes.' Go on and tell her you want to do something romantic with her."

"Like what?" asked Pete. "Gimme some ideas. I'm a novice at this."

"Do something spontaneous." said Steve.

"Like combust?" asked Pete.

"No, no." said Steve. "Although that would be cool to watch. No, do something you just thought of. Something unexpected."

"Pete?" asked Jill as she walked out onto the balcony. "You're missing the party."

"Do it." whispered Steve.

"Yeah, I just had to think about a few things." said Pete. "So, uh, what's the situation on the couple?"

"Tomorrow morning, they're getting on a plane and heading to Hawaii." said Jill.

"Hawaii, that's cool." said Pete. "Sounds very romantic and all that."

"I know." said Jill. "I wish I were going with them."

"Then I tell you what." said Pete.

Steve looked at him and smiled.

"Pack your bags and bring your suntan lotion." said Pete. "Tomorrow, we are joining Marcie and Monkey in Hawaii!"

He then ran off.

"What? Pete!" yelled Jill.

"Damn!" said Steve. "First time and he doesn't mess around!"

Jill gave him an annoyed look.

* * *

The next morning, Marcie and Monkey were at the airport. So were Jill and Pete.

"I swear." said Jill. "I had no idea he was going to do this."

"Don't worry about it." said Monkey. "If anything, Marcie will be tickled to see her best friend there."

"I hope so." said Jill.

Marcie walked over to them while folding up her cell phone. "Okay, I got in touch with a racer in Waimea. He's got a couple of cars he's willing to let us borrow while we're in the area."

"Cool." said Pete. "Beats the hell out of Hyundais and Kias."

"Is it alright if we stay at the same hotel?" asked Jill.

"Perfectly fine." said Monkey.

"Hey, you want to grab a snack before the fight?" asked Marcie. "We've got an hour or two."

"Why not?" asked Jill. "Let's go."

On their way to the restaurants, they passed a brown-haired man in a gray suit. He looked through the newspapers, then replaced them.

Another man in a green jacket walked up next to him and started looking through the periodicals. The man in the suit looked at him and the jacket man said "What are you looking at, preppie?"

The man in the suit turned to a passing security guard and quietly beckoned him over. The guard walked over and asked "What seems to be the problem?"

The man in the suit grabbed the man's jacket by the collar, then took a badge out of his suit. "P.C. Baker, U.S. Marshals. This man is a wanted fugitive for a murder in Rhode Island. Check with my superiors and they'll confirm it."

The jacket man tried to escape, but the guard subdued him before he could get away from Baker.

"Yeah, I remember this guy from the news." said the guard. "Good eye, Agent Baker."

"No problem." said Baker. "Just place a call and my colleagues will take him in."

"You're not taking him in?" asked the guard.

"No, I'm on special assignment." said Baker. "I'm after someone else in Hawaii. I'll send you a postcard."

"Good luck." said the guard.

Baker walked to the ramp for the plane. He checked his PDA on the way. A dark-haired young man showed up on the screen with the name "Dexter Cole."

"You've been a bad, bad boy, Mr. Cole." said Baker.


	2. Trouble In Paradise

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Chapter Two: Trouble In Paradise

AN:I just wanted to point out that the scenes in Hawaii in this chapter take place on Hawaii's big island. I have to make this distinction because I discovered that there are several places across the state called Waimea.

Cast list:  
J.J. McClure-Jerry O'Connell  
Victor Prinsi/Captain Chaos-Horatio Sanz  
Lisa Noble/Miss Chaos-Rachel Dratch  
Jill Boyd-Tinsley Grimes  
Marcie Thatcher-Jordana Spiro  
Monkey Matthews-Chad Lindberg  
Pete Rivers-Danny Strong  
Terry Fletcher-Andrew Heckler  
Mel Sharp-Anthony Clark  
Dennis "Mad Dog" Menesini-Ice-T  
Wayne "Batman" Bruce-Beck Hansen  
Danny Mitchell-Martin Henderson  
Dexter Cole-Adam Brody  
Nina Jankowski-Mercedes McNab  
Billy DuBois-Mark Kaspryzk (aka Kazzer)  
Dolores Ryan-Emma Stone  
Jacob Cheng-Eddie Shin  
Charlie Holt-Zachery Ty Bryan  
Kurt Cole-Michael Cera  
Max Cole-Lee Majors  
P.C. Baker-Jason Gray-Stanford  
special appearance by:  
Billy Baricza-Jimmy Fallon

Shortly after the racers had arrived in Waimea on Hawaii's big island, they found their way to the shop of a local racer.

"First, let me congratulate you on your nuptuals." said the racer.

"Thank you." said Monkey.

"Next, let me show you your island transportation." he said.

He led them to a new Nissan Sentra. The car had been painted gold metallic and had been affixed with black and white stripe graphics. The wheels were Ro Ja R2-5 Mercurys in Noble Silver.

"That looks nice." said Pete.

"Is that what we're driving if we want to race?" asked Marcie.

"No." said the racer. "This is."

He pulled the cover off of a nearby car. It turned out to be a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The visual modifications included pearlescent green paint, an Extreme Dimensions GT Concept body kit with GT-S wing, yellow tribal graphics, and chrome Work Emotion CR-KAI rims.

"Sweet!" said Jill.

"The keys are inside." said the racer.

Marcie started to get into the Evolution when she looked up and said "Oh, one more thing. Where's the major racing action tonight?"

"The drivers meet over by the Dairy Queen." said the racer. "While there, they try to come up with the night's itinerary and place some bets."

"Who's on top around here?" asked Monkey.

"It's this guy who has a crew." said the racer. "He raced back in high school, then flew to the mainland after he got into college. He came back a couple of years ago, but we never see him during the day."

"Maybe he's a vampire." said Pete as he got into the Sentra.

"His team pretty much holds the major titles around here." said the racer. "They're seven members strong, specializing in numerous types of racing. His name is Dexter Cole."

* * *

Some time later, Jill and Marcie pulled into the Dairy Queen where the local racers were congregating. The girls parked the two cars next to a candy green Celica, then exited their cars along with their significant others.

"Nice ride." said the Celica's driver.

"Thanks." said Marcie.

"I'm getting a sundae." said Pete as he ran off to the shop itself.

"Pete." said Jill teasingly.

"What?" said Pete. "It's Hawaii. It's hot!"

Jill let out a little laugh while she and Marcie looked over the other cars.

"You know, Hawaii had a part in early Honda tuning." said Marcie.

"How's that?" asked Jill.

"When Oscar Jackson of Jackson Racing did his first car," said Marcie "it was an early Civic. He decided to swap the engine from the mainland Civic with one from a Civic sent to Hawaii since it didn't have an air conditioner."

"Interesting." said Jill.

"You guys from around here?" asked a young woman leaning against a red CRX.

"L.A." said Monkey. "El...Lay."

"Wow, and you came all the way to Hawaii to race?" asked the woman.

"No, it's our honeymoon." said Marcie as she and Monkey displayed their wedding rings.

"Oh, congratulations." said the woman.

"Hey, who's this Dexter Cole and when does he normally show up?" asked Jill.

"He usually comes shortly after nightfall." said the woman. "He and his crew show up and everyone starts making bets."

"What does he drive?" asked Marcie.

"RX-8." said the woman.

"What did he do to swing that?" asked Monkey.

"Got me." said the woman.

Pete was inside getting his sundae when he heard the collective roar of five engines. He looked outside to see the five cars drive past and pull into the parking lot.

The first car was a matte white Mazda RX-8. The car was outfitted with a Veilside D1-GT body kit and GT Wing Type-I. The rims were BBS RS-GTs and the graphics were yellow and green tears.

The next car was a blue Subaru Impreza WRX. Except for the lowered stance and the "roll call" along the side skirts, the car could've passed for stock.

After the Impreza was a yellow Mustang. It sported a body kit and performance rims. The decal on the sunvisor reported their source: Kenny Brown. The black racing stripes further accentuated the look.

The Mustang was followed by a black Hyundai Accent. The car bore a Vis Racing Fuzion body kit, silver and white splash graphics, and silver Momo FXL1 rims.

Bringing up the rear was a silver Toyota Yaris. The car had a Kaminari body kit and Enkei FN-18 rims along with blue graphics in a series of circles and rectangles.

The cars parked and their occupants climbed out. The driver of the RX-8 looked just like the picture Agent Baker had in his PDA. His passenger was a young woman with blonde hair.

The driver of the Subaru was a young man with blonde hair and a phyique that showed he'd been working out. His passenger was a girl with dark hair.

The Mustang's driver was an Asian man in his twenties while the Accent's driver was a teenage boy with brownish blonde hair.

Finally the driver of the Yaris was a heavyset young man with blonde hair. For reasons unknown to the other people, he was also wearing a jacket.

"Is that Dexter Cole?" asked Monkey.

"Yeppers, that's a Roger." said the woman. "The bubbleheaded bleach-blonde is his girlfriend, Nina Jankowski. The guy in the Scooby is Billy DuBois and his companion is his girlfriend, Dolores Ryan. The Stang's driver is Jacob Cheng. The kid in the Hyundai is Dexter's younger brother, Kurt. Finally, the macho man in the Yaris is Charlie Holt."

"Thanks." said Marcie.

Pete ran outside to see who had just pulled up. "Is that who I think it is?" he asked.

"Dexter Cole." said Jill.

"Oh." said Pete.

"Hey, what's up, Chris?" asked Dexter to a young man.

"The night looks like it's going to be amazing." said Chris.

"If the cops don't show up, that is." said Jacob.

"Oh, and we have visitors from Los Angeles." said Chris.

"Who?" asked Dexter.

"That would be us." said Marcie. Behind her, Pete was making a cross with his fingers.

"So, what are you doing here?" asked Dexter.

"These two are on their honeymoon." said Jill. "Me and this guy are along for the ride."

"Well, congratulations." said Dexter. "So, are you girls up for a little race tonight?"

"Oh, you bet." said Marcie.

"So, which is your car?" asked Jacob.

"The Evo." said Monkey.

"Kurt, what do you think?" asked Dexter.

Kurt walked over and looked the car over. "Wow, whoever did the work on this car should be canonized." said Kurt. "The engine's been maxed out with HKS parts, she's got a Zex nitrous system, Nitto racing tires, Bilstein shocks, Brembo brakes. Looks good too."

"Think I'm worthy?" asked Jill.

"Your car is." said Dexter. "Let's see if you are."

"Actually," said Billy "I think you should let me take her on."

"Are you serious?" asked Dexter. "You heard what she's got in that car."

"Think about it." said Billy. "She's got an Evo, I've got a WRX. They're practically mortal enemies."

"Ah, why not?" asked Dexter. "Let's go for it."

"A couple grand bet." said Dolores.

"If you insist." said Pete as he handed over the money.

Dexter started to go for his money when Billy took his own out. "Don't bother." he said. "I don't race on someone else's cash."

"Alright, let's go." said Jill.

Jill climbed into the driver's seat of the Evolution while Billy got into his Subaru.

The two cars drove out to the street and came to a stop next to each other. Dolores ran out and stood in front of them. "Okay." she said. "Here's the deal. This will be a traditional banzai race, one-on-one around the block. First one past this line wins."

Marcie walked over to the two cars and looked into the Mitsubishi's driver's window. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"All set." said Jill. "I've been preparing for this for years."

"Good." said Marcie. She then turned around and leaned into the Subaru's passenger side window. "You know you've got your work cut out for you, right?" she asked.

"That's why I'm here." said Billy. "Racing just wouldn't be so fullfilling if it were easy."

Marcie glanced down at a black dress shirt on the passenger seat. Billy quickly dropped his hand onto the left breast.

"Don't wantcha visiting me at work." he said.

Marcie looked again at the shirt. She saw a small yellow trapezoid with a hole in it sticking out from under his hand.

"I think Billy's gonna take her down a peg." said Kurt.

"I don't think so." said Nina.

"What makes you say that?" asked Jacob.

"Well, look at her car." said Nina. "The body kit, the paint job, the rims. She's obviously got something going on."

Charlie gave her a disapproving glare.

"Nina, let me explain it to you one last time." said Dexter.

"Okay, let's get it on!" said Dolores.

Marcie ran back to the sidewalk to join Monkey and Pete.

"Is the contender ready?" asked Dolores as she pointed to Jill.

Jill revved the Evolution's engine.

Dolores raised her hand above her head, pointed to Billy with her other hand, and asked "Billy ready?"

Billy revved his own engine.

Dolores raised her other hand over her head. She looked to both drivers, then dropped her hands. "Go!" she yelled.

Both cars took off. Billy hit the play button on his stereo system. The Offspring's "All I Want" started to play.

Billy started to take an early lead on Jill. They quickly came to the first turn. Jill made her turn and cut the corner a little tighter than Billy, putting her in the lead.

"Not over yet." said Billy.

Jill raced for the next corner with Billy nipping at her heels. Billy pushed the pedal to the floor and swerved around her. He managed to slip by her at the corner.

"Oh!" groaned Jill. Billy laughed.

Billy still poured it on towards the next corner. Jill tried keeping up with him. Billy tore through the next corner with Jill right behind him.

Billy looked in his rearview to pay attention to Jill's location. "Just try it." he said.

"Watch this." said Jill.

The two cars went into the final corner. The Subaru was able to hold the turn, but Jill managed to drift through it. She then straightened it out and pulled alongside the Impreza. As she passed, she blew Billy a kiss.

Billy watched as his lead disappeared. Jill crossed the finish line less than half a car length ahead of him.

"Ah!" he yelled.

He and Jill brought their cars to a halt and turned around. They returned to the Dairy Queen and entered the parking lot.

Marcie greeted Jill as she got out of the Mitsubishi. "Nice one." she said.

"And that's how we do it in L.A." said Jill.

Dexter and his team walked over to them. "Okay, here's your money." said Dolores as she handed Jill the four grand.

"So, what do you say?" asked Dexter. "Up for another race?"

"Nah, that was it for tonight." said Jill. "I just wanted to race against a local."

"Then, what are you doing with the rest of the night?" asked Charlie.

"Oh, we're probably going to check out some of the local sights." said Monkey. "After that, maybe some games somewhere. Maybe ice cream. You know if there's a Dairy Queen around here?"

"Okay, we won't keep you here." said Jacob.

"Have fun." said Kurt.

Jill and Pete got into the Sentra while Marcie and Monkey got into the Evolution.

"I don't know what happened out there." said Billy as Jill and Marcie drove off.

"What do you say we do something about it?" asked Dexter.

* * *

A few hours after, the racers returned to their hotel.

"Well, after the racing tonight, I can't blame the locals for ditching." said Marcie.

"Ah, tomorrow's another day." said Pete. "What do you say we hit the hay?"

"Good idea." said Monkey. "Come on, Marcie. Let's go consummate our marriage."

Pete unlocked the door to the room he was sharing with Jill while Monkey unlocked the honeymoon suite.

"I think maybe we're going to discus pistons and camshafts for a while." said Marcie. "After that, maybe we can..."

She was cut off when Pete screamed. She and Monkey ran over to find Jill holding her hands over her mouth.

"What's up?" asked Marcie. She then looked into the room and said "Oh my God."

The room had been ransacked. Clothes and valuables had been thrown about the room. Several pieces of furniture had been tipped over and left astray.

"Oh shit." said Monkey. "Was anything taken?"

"I just screamed twenty seconds ago." said Pete.

Jill was looking around the room. "I think they might have taken your laptop." she said.

"That's got several of my designs on it." said Monkey.

"Not to mention all of our fuel maps." said Marcie.

"Who could've done this?" asked Pete.

"I know." said Jill. "Those guys from tonight. Remember, they asked what we were doing after the race."

"They knew we were going to be out of our rooms." said Marcie.

"But how did they know where we were staying?" asked Pete.

"Uh, that's my fault." said Monkey. "I was talking with their tuning specialist and our hotel may have come up."

"I'm calling the cops." said Jill.

"Don't!" yelled Pete. "If the cops come, they'll ask how we know these guys. We can't very well tell them it was a street race."

"Right." said Jill. "So, what does that leave us with?"

"Not a lot of options." said Marcie. "Who can we call that can give us a hand?"

"Maybe we can get some help from the racing community." said Pete.

"No good." said Monkey. "Most of them are probably sympathetic to Cole anyway."

"Wait, maybe we can call on the Cannonballers." said Jill.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea." said Marcie.

"All the way from the mainland?" asked Pete.

"Face it, they're our best bet." said Marcie.

"But the big question is who?" asked Monkey.

"I know who." said Jill.

* * *

_"First, we need someone who can defuse a bad situation. We'll also need a guy who can kick ass if he needs to. We need J.J. and Victor."_

In Stone Ridge, New York, Lisa and Pamela stood next to a garage.

"So, what are they getting?" asked Pamela.

"I don't know yet." said Lisa. "They're definitely looking for something that can run with the Camaro."

"With what's out there?" asked Pamela. "Lots of luck finding one of those."

They heard the rumble of an engine and looked up the road. They then saw an orange Dodge Challenger SRT-8 cruising down the road.

"Oh yeah." said Pamela.

The Challenger pulled into the garage and Victor climbed out of the driver's seat. J.J. got out of the passenger seat.

"Hey, nice wheels!" said Lisa.

"Thank you." said Victor.

"So, how do you like your new car?" asked Pamela.

"You might want to ask Victor." said J.J. "I couldn't take delivery because of my license being revoked. The car is officially his."

"I do what I can." said Victor.

The phone rang in the office. "I got it." said J.J.

As J.J. went to answer the phone, Pamela and Lisa looked over the car.

"So, any plans with the car?" asked Pamela.

"Oh, I've got plans." said Victor. "I'd love to take this on the track a couple of times. Once for me, once for...HIM."

J.J. ran out and said "Hey, guys. You gotta come in here."

Victor, Lisa, and Pamela ran into the office. "What's going on?" asked Lisa.

"Jill, repeat that." said J.J.

"We got robbed on vacation." said Jill on the speakerphone. "I'm fairly certain we know who it is. We're organizing a confrontation and we need your help."

"Does it involve kicking someone's rear?" asked Victor.

"Most likely." said Jill.

"I think we can give you some help." said J.J. "By the way, do you want to see Victor's new car?"

"Don't we always?" asked Jill.

"How do we get to Hawaii?" asked Victor.

"Transportation has been arranged." said Jill. "I'll call back with the details."

"Okay, we're on our way." said J.J.

He then terminated the call.

"So, it's a little trouble in paradise." said Lisa.

"Time to help out a friend." said J.J.

"You want to come?" asked Victor.

"I can't." said Pamela. "I have a final exam in two days."

"What's that?" asked Lisa.

"Didn't you hear?" asked J.J. "Pamela went to law school."

"Environmental law, to be exact." said Pamela.

"Oh." said Lisa. "Can I take her place?"

"By all means." said J.J.

* * *

_"I seriously doubt that Marcie will be able to handle all that under the hood work alone. So, we'll need a seasoned mechanic. I'm thinking Terry."_

Somewhere in Kentucky, an old muscle car rumbled down the street and pulled into the lot for Matthews' Used Cars. The car was red with a black vinyl roof. The car also sported black hood vents and side stripes.

Terry climbed out of the driver's seat while Claude got out of the passenger side. "So, what do you think?" asked Claude.

"It needs some work, but I can handle it." said Terry.

"Alright." said Claude. "Let me get the paperwork."

As Claude walked to his office, Mel walked over.

"What kind of car is this again?" he asked.

"It's a '69 AMC Javelin SST." said Terry. "Yeah, I know you hear a lot of bad things about AMC's, but I think that's mostly because the company failed. The Pacer and Gremlin probably didn't help much."

"We're going to make it something special?" asked Mel.

"You bet we are." said Terry. Suddenly, his cell phone went off. He answered. "Fletcher. What? When did this happen? I'm up for it. I don't know about Sarah. I think she's a little travelled out. Sure, I'll ask him." He took the phone away from his mouth and said "It's Jill. There's some kind of problem with the locals in Hawaii. She says they got robbed by a rival street racer and they're organizing retaliation. You want to lend a hand?"

"Hey, I'll do it just to go to Hawaii." said Mel.

Terry placed the phone back by his mouth. "He's in." he said. "Okay, just let us square away a few things and we'll be on our way."

He closed the cell phone.

"Hawaii, here we come." said Mel.

* * *

_"We'll also need a guy who can keep us all organized. This would also be a guy with street smarts. And that guy is Mad Dog."_

In Brooklyn, Mad Dog led Danny into the service bay of his customization garage. "Well, here's what you're talking about, Danny." he said. "I'll let you drive this one for a week or two while I work on your real one."

"If this is fake, I'd love to see the real one." said Danny. In front of them, Batman was looking at a silver Land Rover LR2. A heavy-duty brush guard had been mounted to the front, the stance had been noticibly lowered, the wheels sported chrome O.Z. Palladio ST rims on Pirelli tires.

"This is our basic security vehicle." said Mad Dog. "You've heard of the Eddie Bauer Edition? This is the Jack Bauer Edition. The glass is bulletproof, the door handles can be electrified, there are tear gas sprayers in the rearviews, and the tires can be driven flat for a hundred miles."

"Sounds like it might be a little too much for Miami." said Danny.

"No, I think it's perfect for Miami." said Batman. "You know, in case of drug deals gone bad, gang wars, peace talks with Orlando break down."

"I'm telling you right now." said Mad Dog. "You drive something like this, you will be totally secure."

"Ah, give me some time to think about it." said Danny.

Mad Dog's cell phone went off. He quickly pulled it out. "Yeah? Hey wassup, Jill? What? When? Hey, don't worry about it. I'm on the next plane out. Okay, I'll see you then."

He quickly folded his phone. "That was Jill. A rival racer in Hawaii robbed her hotel room. They're organizing a group to exact vengeance."

"I'll pack my bags." said Batman.

"You wanna come too?" asked Mad Dog.

"I don't see why not." said Danny. "Jill is my friend too. After the race two years ago, she traded fashion tips with my receptionist, Miss Burke."

"Sweet." said Mad Dog. "Now, we're going to need transportation."

Danny looked to the Land Rover. Mad Dog looked at it as well.

* * *

"Plus, we'll need..." said Jill as she looked through the address book in her cell phone. She had stopped on Jamie Blake. "Nah." she said and closed her cell phone.

* * *

The next day, Victor was racing down the highway through Pennsylvania. J.J. was riding shotgun and Lisa was in the back.

"You might want to be careful, Victor." said J.J. "This thing's not even broken in yet."

"Yeah, well it's getting there." said Victor.

"So, why are we going to this place and how is it getting us to Hawaii?" asked Lisa.

"I dunno." said J.J. "Jill just said to go there and the rest would be taken care of."

Victor looked ahead and spotted the Land Rover. "Hey, check that out." he said.

"Is that Danny?" asked Lisa.

"Silver vehicle, Florida plates." said J.J. "Who else could it be?"

Danny was driving the Land Rover with Mad Dog in the passenger seat and Batman in the back. Danny was singing along with the radio which was playing Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine". Mad Dog stared at him strangely while Batman laughed silently.

"I can't believe you of all people like this song." said Mad Dog.

"Hey, it's kind of infectious." said Danny as the Challenger pulled alongside. "We play it once a night at the club. It's usually a big hit."

Victor got on the horn. Danny looked out at the machine.

"Hey, what's up, Danny?" asked J.J.

"Got me a new ride, mate." said Danny.

"Not exactly your usual style." said J.J. "I assume Jill called you as well?"

"She called Mad Dog." said Danny. "I'm just along for the ride."

"Alright." said J.J.

Victor passed him completely. An hour later, they were at an airport in Pittsburgh. Both parked near a hangar.

"So, where's our transportation to Hawaii?" asked Victor.

"It's coming." said Batman. "Nice ride, by the way."

"Thanks." said Victor. "You'll see more of it next year in the race."

"This thing looks nasty." said J.J. as he walked around the Land Rover. He then looked at the license plate which read "4HEATH". "What's this plate for?" he asked.

"Oh, that's a dedication to a friend of mine." said Danny. "His name was Heath and he owned a club over in Ft. Lauderdale. He passed away earlier this year."

AN:In case you're wondering, this is a dedication to Heath Ledger. He was good friends with Martin Henderson who I "cast" as Danny.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." said J.J. "He'd be touched."

They heard an engine roar and saw Terry race towards them. He came to a halt next to the Challenger. He and Mel climbed out.

"Is that a Javelin?" asked Lisa.

"Yes, it is." said Terry. "When I look for American muscle, I take no chances. That's why I chose an AMC Javelin."

This brought out a few laughs. "Nice" said Batman.

"So, how are we getting to Hawaii?" asked Mel.

"Don't know yet." said Victor.

Just then, the Drake's BMW M3 raced down the runway towards the group. It finally came to a halt next to the three cars. The Drake and Ron climbed out.

"Oh, good." he said. "You all got your messages."

"Let me guess." said J.J. "You're coming with us to Hawaii."

"Not this time." said the Drake.

"What's going on is Mr. Drake is paying your way to Hawaii." said Ron. "We'd be joining you, except we've got (snicker) pressing business elsewhere."

"Say that without laughing." said Mad Dog.

"What Ron is trying to say is that we're already preparing for next year's Cannonball." said the Drake. "I'm busting my back to dominate you guys and especially Brad. While you guys are pulling Jill's coals out of the fire, Ron and I will be practicing. It's sure to be a smash."

"How about answering the question on everyone's mind?" asked Danny. "How are we getting to Hawaii?"

"In style, my Kiwi friend." said the Drake. "See that 767? That's going to take you to Hawaii. Your cars all have reservations in the hold and you all have first class tickets. Enjoy. And kick someone's ass for me."

"With these arrangements, we'll kick two." said J.J.


	3. Crackdown

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Chapter Three: Crackdown

AN:With special appearance by:

Dolph Lundgren as Per Lindstrom and  
Seann William Scott as Tony Basilotta

On the flight to Hawaii, the Cannonballers gathered in the airplane's lounge.

"So, you guys really want to help out Jill and Marcie." said Lisa.

"Absolutely." said Mad Dog. "I have profound respect for those two. They're only the second team to win their first Cannonball since the revival in 2002."

"And the only reason the previous race was won by a rookie was because all the racers were rookies." said Terry.

"Pretty humble considering that was you." said J.J.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Victor.

"I figured that we'd try to find the leader of this crew and work something out." said Mad Dog.

"Best case scenario?" asked Batman.

"Guy gives up Jill's stuff and we part ways cleanly." said Mad Dog.

"Worst case scenario?" asked Mel.

"Someone gets hurt." said Mad Dog.

"How are we going to track this guy down?" asked Danny.

"Jill and Marcie no doubt have a lead." said Mad Dog. "We just have to exploit it."

* * *

At a mansion outside of town, Dexter, Nina, and Kurt were making breakfast. An older man walked in. "So, how did races go last night?" he asked.

"We didn't go." said Dexter as he poured a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. "After Billy's face off with that girl the other night, it was clear we had some things to take care of. So, we took care of them."

"It sounded really interesting, Max." said Nina.

"Well, I hope you do better next time." said Max.

"Not gonna be tonight." said Dexter. "We're hitting the club."

"Yeah, there's supposed to be a rockin' theme going on tonight." said Kurt as he sat down with a plate of waffles.

"Where's the butter?" asked Nina.

"It's in the dish, genius." said Kurt.

Nina walked over to find the butter dish loaded and Max walked over and tapped Kurt in the back of the head.

"How many times I gotta tell you?" asked Max. "That's no way to talk to a woman."

"Way to piss off Dad." said Dexter.

Max walked over and tapped him in the back of the head.

"And that's for swearing." said Max.

"And possibly for our living arrangements." said Dexter.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." said Max.

"You could turn him in and collect the reward." said Kurt.

"We discussed this." said Max. "If I turn him in and it's discovered how long he's been here, I could go to jail for harboring a fugitive."

"Sorry I brought it up." said Kurt.

Nina's watch alarm went off. "Oh dammit." she said. "I now have thirty minutes to get to my shift at Starbucks."

"It'll take you most of that time just to get there." said Kurt.

"I usually let it go off at home." said Nina as she went out.

The door closed behind her. "I'm telling you this girl is dumber than cotton." said Kurt.

"Why'd you go out with her?" asked Max.

"She's a racer chaser." said Dexter. "What were you expecting her to do? Quote Shakespeare?"

Outside, Nina walked over to a silver Chevrolet Cobalt and climbed in. The car had an RK Sport body kit, Volk Racing TE37 rims, and blue side stripes. She then started the car and drove off.

* * *

At the airport, Jill, Marcie, Pete, and Monkey waited for the Cannonballers' cars to be unloaded from the plane.

"J.J!" yelled Jill as the others came over. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."

"Don't worry about it." said J.J. "I'll just kick your ass next year. That's all."

"We're here to help you get this guy." said Lisa.

"Are you sure the guy you raced was the guy who robbed you?" asked Batman.

"We asked the manager." said Marcie. "He said he saw a car like ours. You know, a street racer."

"Did he have anymore information?" asked Mel.

"He didn't get a good look at the car." said Marcie. "It was also too dark to recognize the color."

Victor drove off the plane in the Challenger.

"Aw, sweet!" said Pete. "Victor got one of the new Challengers! SRT no less!"

Victor parked and climbed out. "Nice, huh?" he said. "Yeah, I had to get one of these because you know what a huge 'Vanishing Point' fan I am."

"Then why didn't you get it in white?" asked Pete.

"They didn't have the SRT in white." said Victor. "They had it in silver, but that's Danny's signature color."

"And speaking of him..." said Jill as Danny drove his Land Rover off the plane. "Not quite his usual style of vehicle."

"We got to talking and he wanted something more baddie-proof." said Mad Dog.

"I think he might have gone a little overboard." said Monkey.

"Not by my rules." said Mad Dog.

Terry was next to bring his car off the plane. Monkey blanched when he saw the license plate frame on the Javelin. It bore the name of his father's used car lot.

"No, no, no, no, no." he groaned as Terry got out of the car. "Dad, how many times do I have to tell you? Knock it off with the AMCs."

"Hey, Monkey. Relax." said Terry. "You know I wouldn't pick up a car if it didn't have potential."

"Well, how does this one work?" asked Monkey.

"Not bad." said Terry. "It's only stalled on me once."

"When?" asked Monkey.

"Just now." said Terry.

"Uh, guys." said Pete. "I just heard from the airport guys and we have to clear the area."

"No problem." said J.J. as he went for the Challenger. "Where's the base of operations?"

"Just follow us." said Jill as she got into the Evo. Marcie, Pete, and Monkey followed her.

"Okay." said Mad Dog as he got into the back of Danny's Land Rover. J.J, Victor, and Lisa climbed into the Challenger. Terry and Mel got into the Javelin. Danny and Batman joined Mad Dog in the Land Rover.

The engines were started and the Evo drove out.

"Where's this base of operations?" asked Marcie.

"The shop where we got this car." said Jill.

"That's going to go over well with the guy." said Monkey.

"It's a mercy mission." said Pete. "He'll be jazzed to help."

"You gonna put on some Bedingfield?" asked Mad Dog.

"I thought you'd never ask." said Danny.

"Nice call." said Batman.

"I'm proud to be your bud, J.J." said Victor. "I will let you drive my car."

"J.J, I thought your license was revoked." said Lisa.

J.J. said "Well, just because I'm not certified to perform heart surgery doesn't mean I can't use the equipment."

Back on the runway, Terry tried in vain to start the Javelin. Finally, he released the key and said "God dammit."

Mel leaned out the window and yelled "Hey, can we get a tow?"

* * *

Up the road from the Coles' was another mansion. Parked in front of it was a white Dodge Sprinter van. The sides of the van bore signs reading "Blendin Electrical Repair".

A black '07 Chevrolet Monte Carlo pulled up alongside and Baker climbed out. He walked over to the van and knocked on the sliding door.

"Who is it?" asked a voice inside.

"Agent Baker, U.S. Marshals."

The door was opened by an older man. "Come on in." he said.

Baker climbed into the van and took out his badge. "Here's my identification." he said.

"Whoa, what did you do to your badge?" asked a third man with red hair.

"I tried cleaning it with a rather abrassive metal cleaner." said Baker.

"This doesn't even look real." said the red haired man.

"Welcome aboard, Agent Baker." said the older man. "I'm Detective Young. This is Detective Abel."

"Why don't you tell us what you know about the case?" asked Abel. "That way, we can fill in the blanks."

"Our fugitive's name is Dexter Cole." said Baker. "About six years ago, he was involved in an auto theft ring. He was given the same charges as his accomplices, but managed to make bail. Then, just before he was to report for trial, he skipped. We discovered he'd boarded a flight for Hawaii, but after that he vanished. Since no one matching his description has been seen around anywhere else, we assumed he's holed up at this father's mansion."

"How did the guy afford a spread like that?" asked Young.

"He's a former stuntman." said Baker. "He's also a major car nut. Looks like it rubbed off on his boy. Did you know his ex-wife took part in the Cannonball Run?"

"She managed to get in before they discontinued it in '84?" asked Abel.

"Yes, but they started it up again in '02." said Young. "Hold on, here comes our insider."

Nina pulled alongside the van and climbed out. Young opened the door for her and she climbed in.

"Nina, this is Agent Baker from the U.S. Marshals." said Young. "Baker, this is our inside agent, Nina Jankowski."

"Hello, Nina." said Baker.

"So, what did you learn?" asked Abel.

"Okay, a couple of nights ago, one of our guys gets toasted in a street race." said Nina.

"Why can't we catch him at a street race?" asked Baker.

"He's really good at avoiding cops." said Young. "All that extra motivation and things."

"Anyway, he took off for a while," said Nina "and he left me off at home. I talked with another of the racers for the night. Last night, he went out to practice racing. They left when the cops showed up and let them off with a warning."

"Why didn't the cops check to see who he was?" asked Abel.

"It was just disturbing the peace." said Nina. "You might want to check with the patrol officers and give one of them a stern talking to."

"Any plans for tonight?" asked Baker.

"He said something about hitting the club." said Nina. "I can let you know which club when the time comes."

"Good." said Young. "We'll get in and try to find him."

"And when you do," said Nina "Good night, sweet prince."

* * *

At the shop, Terry had the hood off of the Javelin. He, J.J, and Mad Dog stood around the engine bay and looked at the engine. Monkey squatted on the opposite fender while looking it over.

"I think I see the problem." said Mad Dog. He pointed to the valve covers and read off the company name. "American Motors Company."

"No, I see the real problem." said Terry. "Intake manifold has a crack in it like the Tennesee River Valley."

"Can you fix it?" asked Monkey.

"I was going to replace it anyway." said Terry. "Just not this soon."

"Think they have one at the local Speed Zone?" asked J.J.

"Wouldn't hurt to check." said Terry.

"While you're there, you should probably address another problem." said Monkey. "What do your tires, Yul Brenner, Ben Kingsley, and Billy Zane have in common?"

Terry thought for a second. "They're good actors?" he asked.

"Did you not notice I mentioned Billy Zane?" asked Monkey.

"They're bald?" asked Mel.

"Bingo." said Monkey. "They might handle driving around town but if you plan to race, you gotta get new rubber."

"I'll see what they've got." said Terry.

Meanwhile, Jill, Marcie, Danny, Lisa, and Victor talked together.

"Okay, what do we know about this guy?" asked Victor.

"His name is Dexter Cole." said Jill. "One of his teammates, Billy Dubois, raced Jill the other night and lost. Shortly afterward, our hotel room was robbed."

"We think it was a revenge deal." said Marcie.

"How do we get in contact with them?" asked Lisa.

"I have no idea." said Jill. "We don't know where they live, where they hang out, where they work."

"Wait, Billy covered something in his car." said Marcie. "He said he didn't want me bothering him at work. It was a shirt."

"Maybe it was his work uniform." said Danny. "What did it look like?

"It was a black short-sleeve shirt." said Marcie. "The part he covered up had a yellow trapezoid on it."

"Yellow trapezoid." said Lisa as she pondered the information.

"Wait, could it have been part of a price tag?" asked Jill.

"Yes." said Marcie. Just then, the group smiled collectively. "Jill, you're a genius."

* * *

Shortly afterward, a minivan pulled out of the place where Billy worked: Best Buy.

Billy was in the garage where in-car entertainment was installed. He was sitting behind the wheel of an Infiniti G35 testing out the newly installed stereo system with the Offspring's "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)".

As the song ended, Billy turned down the stereo and ejected his CD. "Okay, Mr. Lawson's car is ready." he said. "It should be just fine. I'm going to lunch."

Minutes later, Billy walked from the garage to his Subaru. A few rows over, Mad Dog and Danny watched from Danny's Land Rover.

"We should have borrowed the Challenger for this." said Danny.

"Why?" asked Mad Dog.

"Because it's the least noticable of our cars." said Danny. "When you're trying to spy on someone, it's best not to draw attention to yourself."

"Hold that thought." said Mad Dog. "I think that's our guy."

"He's heading for the blue Scooby." said Danny. "What do you say we find out where he's eating lunch?"

"Give him a head start, but not too much." said Mad Dog.

Danny started the Land Rover as Billy pulled out of the parking space. Billy took to the road seconds later with Danny in pursuit.

Minutes later, Billy pulled into the parking lot of a Subway restaurant. He took a space next to an orange Volkswagen New Beetle. He looked it over, then walked to the restaurant. As he was entering, Danny pulled into the parking lot after him and found another parking space.

As he and Mad Dog got out of the Land Rover, Danny asked "So, how are we going to do this?"

"First, we get his attention." said Mad Dog. "We intimidate him instantly to get him to cooperate."

Inside, Billy walked over to a table where Dolores was sitting. "Hey." she said.

"How's it going, sweetie?" asked Billy as he snuck in a kiss.

"Wonderful." said Dolores. "I managed to get a day off tomorrow."

"Sweet." said Billy as Danny and Mad Dog entered. "What can I get you?"

"Veggie patty on honey oat with lettuce and tomatoes." said Dolores.

"Alright, I got it." said Billy.

"Watch this." said Mad Dog.

Billy walked up to the counter and looked over the menu. Mad Dog walked up behind him and grabbed his elbow. "We need to talk." he said.

Billy quickly swung his arm out of Mad Dog's grip and grabbed Mad Dog's own elbow. He then pulled down so he bent over, then put his hand into Mad Dog's stomach to flip him onto his back.

Dolores and Danny looked on in surprise as Billy took a defensive stance and Mad Dog tried to figure out what had just happened.

"Oh yeah, that was something." joked Danny. Billy turned to him and raised his hands. "Whoa, easy." said Danny. "Watch the kidney. It's new."

"What do you want, yuppie?" asked Billy.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not a yuppie." said Danny. "I'm a metrosexual. Second of all, I just wanted to arrange a meeting with your crew chief, Dexter Cole."

"Why?" asked Billy.

"Jill Boyd is a friend of mine." said Danny. "You raced her the other night. I think I might have something to work over with your boss."

"He's planning on heading to the club tonight." said Billy. "You can talk with him there. I'll set it up."

"What club is this?" asked Danny.

"Club Turbo." said Billy.

"Sounds appropriate." said Danny.

"See you there?" asked Billy.

"With bells on." said Danny.

Danny and Mad Dog left the restaurant shortly afterward.

"You alright?" asked Danny.

"Just a little embarrassed." said Mad Dog. "Why are you still using your kidney operation as an excuse?"

"Works, doesn't it?" asked Danny as he opened the door to his Land Rover.

* * *

At a local performance parts shop called Speed Zone...

"Two thousand dollars for an intake manifold?" yelled Terry. Marcie looked on stunned.

"Only one in stock." said the cashier.

"Well, who are you saving it for?" asked Terry.

"According to our records, there are three other Javelins in the state." said the cashier.

"How many of those are on the island of Hawaii?" asked Terry.

The cashier looked around for a couple of seconds before answering. "None."

"You know, there's really no reason to overcharge us." said Marcie. "We're both loyal customers in L.A. and Kentucky."

"Hey, it's simple economics." said the cashier.

"Can I use your phone?" asked Marcie.

"Okay." said the cashier.

"By the way, this is long distance." said Marcie as she dialled the phone.

"We can afford it." said the cashier.

The phone rang a couple of times. Marcie set it on speaker phone. A woman with a British accent answered. "Speed Zone. Sandy speaking. How may I help you?"

"Yeah, is Tony there?" asked Marcie.

"Hold on a tick." said Sandy. "Tony, it's for you."

"Thanks, Sandy." said a man's voice with a California accent. "This is Tony."

"Hey, what's up, Tony?" asked Marcie.

"Marcie Thatcher?" asked Tony.

"Hey, how's Caesar doing?" asked Marcie.

"Awesome." said Tony. "He's working on hod rodding an old Ford Taunus."

"What's that?" asked Marcie.

"You can look it up on Wikipedia." said Tony. "So, to what do I owe this honor?"

"Yeah, my friend and I are trying to buy an intake manifold for a '69 Javelin." said Marcie. "However, your guy is charging us a little more than sticker price."

Tony was silent for a couple of seconds. "Did you say a Javelin?" he asked.

"Yeah." said Marcie. "Can you give us a little hand?"

"Let's see." said Tony. "What's the sticker price for the manifold?"

"Uh, about nine hundred dollars." said the cashier.

"Well, let them pay that." said Tony. "Don't want Dad coming down on you, right?"

"Uh, right." said the cashier.

Terry and Marcie left the shop with the manifold.

"I can't believe you know the son of the founder of Speed Zone." said Terry.

"Next time he's in the States, I'll introduce you." said Marcie.

Terry laughed.

"So, why didn't you get the other parts you needed?" asked Marcie.

"Not in stock." said Terry. "I had to special order them. I can install them later."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Terry and Monkey almost had the manifold on.

"Okay, time for the moment of truth." said Terry as he finished wrenching.

He climbed into the Javelin's driver's seat and nodded to Monkey. Monkey gave him a thumbs-up and stepped away from the engine bay. Terry gave the ignition key a quick twist and the engine roared to life.

"Yeah!" yelled Terry. Monkey walked over to the passenger side window, reached inside, and high fived Terry.

"According to Billy, Dexter is going to be at Club Turbo tonight." said Mad Dog.

"I found the owner and talked to him." said Danny. "Dexter and his crew are regulars there."

"Good old Danny." said Mad Dog. "He also got us into the club when Dexter's crew is."

"We're not getting a better opportunity than this." said J.J. "Who's up for a little club date tonight?"

"I am." said Mel.

"Me too." said Victor.

"Count me in." said Marcie.

"This isn't what we usually do there, but alright." said Batman.

"Then, it's a club date." said Mad Dog.

Lisa took a look at the back of Mad Dog's neck. "Is that a bruise?" she asked. "How did that happen?"

* * *

In the van, Young was sleeping in the driver's seat while Baker and Abel kept a watch over the equipment.

"Should someone put some sunblock on him?" asked Baker.

"Last time I did, he whacked me." said Abel.

Suddenly, the cell phone on the counter rang, waking up Young. Baker grabbed the phone.

"This is Baker."

"Baker, it's Nina."

"What's up?" asked Baker.

"Dexter is going clubbing now." said Nina.

"Where?"

"Club Turbo." said Nina.

"Thanks, we'll be there." said Baker.

"Good." said Nina as Dexter entered the room.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Oh. Wrong number." said Nina.

* * *

That night, Dexter and his crew showed up at Club Turbo and filed into three adjacent parking spaces.

The crew climbed out of their cars. "That's what I call valet parking." said Jacob.

They walked towards a set of stairs between two low walls. The entrance was at the top of the stairs.

Meanwhile, the Cannonballers cruised down the street heading for the club.

In the Javelin, Terry looked tense as the bald tires repeatedly thumped down the road.

"Nervous about your tires?" asked Mel.

"Yup." said Terry. "It sounds like they're going to blow out any second."

"They'll hold." said Mel. "Relax. The new ones are on their way."

The Cannonballers pulled into the parking lot for Club Turbo. After they parked, they climbed out and approached the entrance.

"Let me handle this." said Danny.

He ran up to the bouncer and talked with him for a few seconds. The bouncer checked his list, then nodded.

"It's cool, come on." said Danny.

The Cannonballers entered the club. Once again, "Pocketful Of Sunshine" was playing.

"Did you phone ahead?" asked Mad Dog. Danny just laughed.

"Let's look for these guys." said Victor.

Meanwhile, Baker and his men were pulling into the parking lot in the Monte Carlo. They parked by one of the low walls next to the stairs.

Baker climbed out of the car and said "I'll get us in."

He then walked up the stairs to the entrance. He took out his badge and showed it to the bouncer. The bouncer looked at it suspiciously, then grabbed Baker by the collar.

In the Monte Carlo, Young and Abel looked at the cars in the parking lot. Young stared and asked "Is that a Javelin?"

A second later, they heard a thud and the roof popped in an inch. Baker and Abel looked at the roof, then out the window.

"That's Baker." said Abel.

They climbed out of the car. Baker was laying on the pavement on the opposite side of the car from the club.

"Are you alright?" asked Young.

"Watch that bouncer. He's strong." said Baker.

Abel looked at the dented roof. "Where did you get this car?" he asked.

"Impound." said Baker.

"Good." said Abel.

"Let me handle this." said Young as he took out his badge.

In the club, J.J. looked around while Jill walked up to him.

"I found them." she said. "Come on, let me introduce you."

"Okay." said J.J.

"How are you going to play this?" asked Jill.

"I'm not going to mention the robbery just yet." said J.J. "I think I'll just propose a challenge with him, then slowly let on that we know what he did."

Baker, Abel, and Young entered the club.

"Spread out." said Baker. "We'll find him."

J.J. walked up to Dexter and asked "Are you Dexter?"

"Yes, who wants to know?"

"Yeah, this is the guy." said Jill.

"Oh yeah." said Dexter. "The girl who toasted my guy Billy on her friend's honeymoon."

"J.J. McClure." said J.J.

"A friend?" asked Dexter.

"A rival, I guess." said J.J. "You see, we're Cannonballers."

"Cannonballers." said Dexter.

"Yeah, you've heard of the Cannonball?" asked J.J.

"Of course." said Dexter. "My mom once took part."

"Really?" asked Jill.

"Uh, that was back in the eighties." said Dexter. "I assume you are competitors in the revived version?"

"You assume correctly." said J.J.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Dexter.

"Jill told me about your being the top racer around here." said J.J. "I wanted to come over and see if she was absolutely sure."

"You came all this way just to see if I lived up to the hype." said Dexter. "Either that was some hype or you've got a lot of free time on your hands."

"A little of both." said J.J.

"So, you want to come to races tomorrow night?" asked Dexter.

"I was thinking of something more." said J.J. "I was thinking of hitting the open road and racing from city to city. That's the way we do it."

"I think you're forgetting something about the geography of Hawaii." said Dexter. "You know, like it's not a continuous land mass, but a bunch of islands."

"Oh, that makes it an archipelago." said Victor.

"Maybe we can just limit the race to the big island." said J.J. "Circle the island going full throttle."

"Waimea to Kailua-Kona is about forty miles." said Charlie. "It's about fifty-five miles from Kailua-Kona to Naalehu, then forty-five to Hilo, and another fifty-five back to Waimea. Together, that's..." He then tried to do the math in his head and drew a blank.

"Great, he's vapor locked." said Dolores.

"Geography yes, math no." said Kurt. "Together, it's a grand total of one hundred and ninety-five, far less than the three thousand for the Cannonball."

J.J. thought about this. "I kind of suspected that." he said. "How hard is it to get to the other islands?"

"You're suggesting a race across the Hawaiian islands?" asked Dexter.

"It's not like nobody's thought of it before." said J.J.

Dexter laughed. "Okay, I'll consider it." he said. "One thing though: my dad is very knowledgible about the state of Hawaii. I'll have to talk it over with him."

"Sounds like a deal." said J.J. as he took out a slip of paper. "This is my cell phone number. Call me when you work things out."

"Alright, got it." said Dexter as he took the slip.

J.J. and his crew walked away. Dexter got up.

"Okay, let's head for home." he said. "We've got some plans to make."

He and his team made their way for the exit. Jacob sat looking lost.

"Jacob?" asked Kurt, scaring him. "You alright?"

"Yeah." said Jacob. "Yeah, fine."

Baker talked with a club patron. He then walked over to another. "I'm looking for a man named Dexter Cole." he said.

"He's just leaving." said the patron.

Baker looked to the exit. "Crap." he muttered.

He ran to the exit. He got there just in time to see Dexter and his crew get into their cars and leave.

Baker let out a groan and marched over to the bar where Batman was sitting.

The casually dressed Batman and the business suited Baker looked each other over. "Hello, I'm a Mac." said Batman as he extended his hand.

* * *

The next day at Speed Zone, Monkey showed up and approached the counter.

"Excuse me, we ordered a set of tires yesterday." he said. "I was told they had come in just now."

"Those are for the '69 Javelin, right?" asked the salesman.

"That's correct." said Monkey.

"Come with me." said the salesman.

He led Monkey into the shop. They walked over to a stack of four tires.

"Here you go." said the salesman. "Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R."

"Sweet." said Monkey.

"So, where's the car?" asked the salesman.

Monkey looked up. "The car?" he asked.

"Yeah, unless you've got a tire machine, you're going to need the car here." said the salesman.

"Well, the last set was completely bald." said Monkey. "We didn't want to risk driving on it. Wait, I've got an idea." He took a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Do you have a complete set of rims that look like these and would fit these tires?"

The salesman looked at the paper. "I think so." he said. "Let me take a look."

* * *

At his house, Dexter looked over a road map for the state of Hawaii. He had the television on showing racing news.

"Meanwhile in Europe, the Monte Carlo Rally was won by Sweden's Per Lindstrom." said the announcer. "With a month until the next race in the series, the victorious Swede had this to say."

A reporter for the program walked with Per as they walked somewhere.

"We've got some time before Portugal." said Per. "I think we can take some time to chill."

Max walked in to see what he was doing. "What's this I hear?" he asked. "Kurt tells me someone challenged you to a race across the state?"

"That's about the size of it." said Dexter.

"Who are you racing?" asked Max.

"Some guy." said Dexter. "He said he was a friend of the girl Billy raced the other night. He came all the way here from New York."

"You must have made quite an impression." said Max.

"I'm trying to work with him to create a worthwhile race." said Dexter. "How far would you consider for that?"

"Well, all eight islands would be going too far." said Max.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." said Dexter. "Plus, two of them are off limits to us. I think four would be enough."

"I know you're considering Hawaii itself." said Max. "What are the other three?"

"I was thinking Maui, Molokai, and Oahu." said Dexter. "Now, there's another issue I'm working on."

"What's that?" asked Max.

"We're supposed to be pitting the four of them against four of us." said Dexter. "They've already got their four picked out, but I'm not so sure about us."

"You are using the RX-8, aren't you?" asked Max.

"And the Mustang and WRX as well." said Dexter. "But we're struggling to chose a fourth. None of the rest of our cars are powerful enough to run this."

"Who is this guy?" asked Max.

"His name is J.J. McClure." said Dexter. "He comes from..."

"Wait, wait." said Max. "Did you say J.J. McClure?"

"Yeah." said Dexter.

"As in the Cannonball Run?" asked Max.

"He said he was a Cannonballer, I think." said Dexter.

"I've got your fourth." said Max. "The only thing is you have to increase your team membership."

* * *

The the shop, Terry had the Javelin jacked up with the front left tire off.

"When does Monkey get back with the tires?" asked Mel.

"Soon." said Terry. "We need those tires. Look at this."

He showed Mel the bald tire. The tread was worn away and the steel belts were starting to become exposed.

Meanwhile, Danny was sitting on the hood of his Land Rover while holding onto the brush guard. "He'll be here." he said. "Relax. The race isn't until tomorrow."

Just then, Monkey drove into the garage with the Nissan Sentra. He parked and climbed out. "Hey, Terry." he said. "Got your treads."

"It's about time." said Terry.

"Plus, I got an extra special surprise for you." said Monkey as he opened the rear door. He took out one of the tires which was already mounted with the rim. "Cragar 610 Offsets." he said. "It's not what I originally had in mind, but...hey. You do have a tire machine."

J.J. leaned against the Challenger and laughed. Just then, his cell phone went off. He picked it up and said "McClure. Okay. Sounds good. What? Well, I can't wait to meet him. Okay, I'll see you then."

He hung up his cell phone.

"It's on?" asked Victor.

"It's on." said J.J.

"Who can't you wait to meet?" asked Marcie.

"Dexter is bringing his daddy." said J.J.


	4. The Big Island

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Chapter Four: The Big Island

AN:Sorry for the extremely long wait. While I was working on this chapter, I was struck by severe writer's block. (Well, not exactly. I just couldn't think of material for _this_ story.) Anyways, here we go. Enjoy.

Shortly after Dexter finalized the plans for the race, Nina went to see Baker and his crew.

Abel slid the door to the van shut and turned to Nina in the back. "Okay, what did you learn?" he asked.

"Those guys you saw at the club last night?" said Nina. "They're Cannonballers. They set up a major race with Dexter across the entire state."

"How are they getting from island to island?" asked Young.

"Same way I got here." said Baker. "They're gonna fly the cars."

"Anyways," said Nina "the race starts tomorrow morning. It's going to be a four-on-four battle between Dexter's crew and the Cannonballers. First, they're going to circumnavigate the big island, then Maui, Molokai, and Oahu."

"Then Kauai?" asked Young.

"No, they're not going that far." said Nina.

"Can you get us a picture of their cars?" asked Baker.

"Of course." said Nina.

"We know a guy in surveillance." said Abel. "He can probably rig up a miniature camera in your sunglasses or your iPod."

"Or my cell phone?" asked Nina. "Oh wait. It's got one in there already put in at the factory."

"She's a step ahead of us as usual." said Baker.

"Just give me your cell phone number and I'll send you the pictures of our competition." said Nina as she handed her cell phone to Baker.

* * *

The next morning, the Cannonballers parked in the parking lot for Club Turbo. J.J. and Victor paced around the Challenger. Marcie reprogrammed the engine computer in the Evolution. Terry made some last minute adjustments to the engine of the Javelin. Danny and Mad Dog stood around the Land Rover.

"How much longer until he shows up?" asked Mad Dog.

"Not much longer, I hope." said Jill.

"Wait, do you hear engines?" asked Mel.

A few seconds later, Dexter and his crew pulled into the lot. Dexter's RX-8 led the way followed by Billy's WRX, Jacob's Mustang, and a black luxury coupe.

"Is that Dexter's dad?" asked Lisa. "I see he and the Drake have the same taste in cars."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." said Danny.

Dexter and his team parked in a row of spaces. Max's coupe was at the end. It was then they saw that instead of a vertical dividing strip, the grill sported four interlocked rings.

The crew got out of their cars. J.J. walked up to Max. "Are you Dexter's father?" he asked. "J.J. McClure."

"Max Cole. Nice to meet you."

"Nice car." said J.J. "What is this? An A5?"

"S5." said Max. "Nothing but the best for me."

"Dexter told you what was going on?" asked J.J.

"Race around the islands?" asked Max. "Yeah, he told me. Craziest damn thing I ever heard."

"You're still gonna do it?" asked J.J.

"You bet." said Max.

"Hey, are we doing this?" asked Dexter.

"Yeah." said J.J.

Mad Dog stood at the top of the stairs to the club. The Cannonballers and Dexter's team gathered at the base of the stairs.

"Okay, this is by far the most unusual arrangement I've ever made." he said. "Welcome to the Cannonball Run: Hawaiian Tropic. No relation to the suntan oil company. As you are aware, this will be the start of a race across the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Since we don't have any time clocks, we'll be doing this the old-fashioned way: stopwatch."

Monkey held up a stopwatch.

"Officiating over the start will be Monkey." said Mad Dog.

"Monkey?" asked Jacob.

"A couple of your friends will be waiting in Kailua-Kona and Hilo while our boy Pete will be in Naalehu." said Mad Dog. "They will be waiting to make sure each of you reaches the checkpoint. If any of you misses a checkpoint, your run will not count. Of course, we're going to have to call the checkpoints and tell them to add an Audi S5 to the list. Now, your boy Kurt pointed out that a lap of the island of Hawaii would be only two hundred miles around. Therefore, we should be finished by this afternoon. Before we start, is there any advice you'd like to give us, Max?"

"Not really." said Max. "Driving in Hawaii is pretty much the same as driving in the continental U.S. However, there is one thing I have to warn you about."

"Go ahead." said Mad Dog.

"It's about the local law enforcement." said Max. "Some years ago, the Hawaii County Police Department and Honalulu Police Department decided to offset the cost of supplying vehicles by allowing the officers to use their personal vehicles on duty. So, don't go watching out for white or black Crown Vics. Watch out for anything."

"Okay, with that little warning," said Mad Dog "I think we have all we need. To expediate the departures, we will be leaving two at a time. First, the main men, J.J. and Dexter. Twenty seconds later, the mortal enemies, Jill in the Evo and Billy in the WRX. Third will be the muscle machines, Terry in the Javelin and Jacob in the Mustang. Finally, the rest. Danny in the Land Rover and Max in the Audi. Are we ready?"

Everyone called out "Yeah!" except for Kurt who was caught off guard.

"Alright." said Mad Dog. "Let's get to the cars and get to running."

The drivers took off for their cars. Max looked to Kurt and said "Hey, Kurt. Why don't you ride with your old man?"

Kurt looked around. "Okay." he said.

Monkey ran over to the exit while the drivers got into their cars. He took a quick look around for anything that would hamper the race, then went back to the exit.

The Challenger and RX-8 were first up. J.J. was driving the Challenger with Victor in the passenger seat and Lisa in the back. Dexter was driving the RX-8 with Nina as his passenger.

"Is the contender ready?" asked Monkey as he looked to Dexter.

A rev of a modified Renesis engine was the response.

"Cannonballer ready?" asked Monkey as he turned to J.J.

The roar of a Hemi answered him this time.

"Ready?" called Monkey as he raised his hands. "Go!"

He dropped his hands and the two drivers dropped the hammer. Both cars tore out of the parking lot in a cloud of tire smoke. Within seconds, they were out on the road.

The Evo and WRX were next. Monkey walked over to the Evolution's passenger side window. "You ready for this, honey?" he asked.

"Always." said Marcie. "I'd even do this while giving birth."

"At least that would be a valid excuse for the cops." said Jill.

Monkey ran to the exit again. Billy looked past Dolores at Jill. "Hey, ever get that crazy sense of deja vu?" he asked.

"We'll see." said Jill.

"Ready?" called Monkey as he raised his hands. "Go!"

The two cars raced out onto the street. The Javelin and Mustang pulled up next.

Terry was on his cell phone behind the wheel of the Javelin. "Now is not a good time." he said. "I'm in the middle of something. Okay, I can send someone to pick it up." He closed his cell phone and yelled "Hey, Monkey! Come here!"

Monkey ran over to him. "What's up?" he asked.

"They just got some more parts for the Javelin at Speed Zone." said Terry. "Can you pick those up for us?"

"Will do." said Monkey.

"What are these dorks talking about?" asked Charlie from the Mustang's passenger seat.

"Maybe they're talking about..." said Jacob.

"Shut up." warned Charlie.

Monkey ran to the exit, then turned back to the muscle cars. "Ready?" he called as he raised his hands. "Go!"

The Javelin and Mustang peeled out of the parking lot and onto the street.

Finally, the Land Rover and Audi pulled up.

"Alright, let's see if the Brits can build a decent SUV." said Danny.

"Isn't Natasha Bedingfield a Brit?" asked Batman.

"Her 'rents are Kiwis." said Danny.

"I'm a little curious about that guy." said Kurt as he looked to Danny. "I mean, can he handle that Land Rover at speed?"

"While you ponder the answer, remember one of his countrymen won the Indy 500 this year." said Max.

"Yeah, but it wasn't him." said Kurt.

"Good point." said Max.

"Ready?" called Monkey as he raised his hands. "Go!"

He dropped his hands and the Land Rover and Audi took off.

* * *

Elsewhere in Waimea, Baker was looking at his cell phone. He was sitting in the driver's seat of the Monte Carlo while Abel and Young were sitting in the Sprinter van.

"Come on, we need that info." said Young as he sat at the surveillance console.

"Maybe she's flipped." said Abel as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Got it!" yelled Baker. He jumped out of the Monte Carlo and ran over to the van. "The racers just left a minute ago. Here's what they're driving and where they're going."

"I saw these at the club last night." said Young as he looked at the pictures.

"Why did you include the Cannonballers' cars in this?" asked Abel.

"Where the Cannonballers are, Dexter's crew can't be far behind." said Baker.

"But if we keep talking, we will be." said Young.

"Right, let's go." said Baker.

Baker ran back to the Monte Carlo and jumped in as Abel started the van.

"How are we going to keep in touch?" yelled Abel.

Baker held up a Bluetooth earpiece, then stuck it in his ear. A few seconds later, the two vehicles pulled out.

* * *

Billy raced towards the south. As he was leaving town, Dolores looked out at the scenery and said "Nice." She then took out a camera and took a picture.

"What are you doing?" asked Billy. "You haven't seen the area around Waimea before?"

"Well, yeah." said Dolores. "But the sun hit it so nicely, I decided to get a picture so I could paint it later."

"Why don't you just enlarge the photo?" asked Billy.

"No fun." said Dolores.

"Fair enough." said Billy. "Wait, I'm doing a buck-ten. Did it blur?"

Dolores quickly checked the screen on her camera. "No, it's fine." she said.

"Sweet." said Billy. "Any plans for a canvas?"

"Maybe you could finally let me touch this thing up?" asked Dolores.

"Nah." said Billy. "I wanted a sleeper, I got one."

"Well, there's this car I've been thinking of buying." said Dolores. "Maybe I'll do something with that."

"Gotta let me do the sound system." said Billy.

"Can't I just turn the knob?" asked Dolores.

"Wha?" asked Billy.

"Enlarge the photo." scoffed Dolores.

* * *

Shortly afterward, Terry and Mel had gotten into trouble. They were racing down the highway to Kailua-Kona with a white '98 Taurus on their tail. The Taurus had a light bar bolted to the roof.

"Man, that Taurus is really hanging in there!" said Mel.

"I see that." said Terry. "It must be an SHO."

"Come on, you gotta lose him." said Mel. "It's a four-door family sedan and a front driver for God's sake."

"With a three hundred horsepower V8." said Terry.

"This is Unit Six again." said the officer driving the Taurus. "Still in pursuit of the '69 Javelin."

"Ten-four, Unit Six. Patrols in the area are on alert."

"Roger that." said Unit Six.

Baker snaked his way through the traffic behind the Taurus. He pulled alongside and honked the horn. When the officer looked, Baker held up his badge.

Unit Six rolled down his window, prompting Baker to do the same. "Back off! This is my collar!" yelled Unit Six.

He then accelerated and left Baker in the dust. "Have it your way." said Baker.

He floored the accelerator and the Monte Carlo started to catch up.

"Uh oh." said Mel. "The Taurus has been joined by a Monte Carlo. Looks like an SS."

"Does he have a light bar too?" asked Terry.

"No, he doesn't even have a gumball machine." said Mel. "Do you think he's not with the department?"

"Could be vigilantes like in that Charlie Sheen movie." said Terry. "You know, the guys from the Smashing Pumpkins."

AN:Yes, Terry is referring to "The Chase" and I am aware that was actually Anthony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's Terry's mistake.

The Taurus swerved around a couple of cars, then cut in front of the Monte Carlo. Baker got on the brakes and swerved around him.

"That was rude." said Baker. He upshifted and blew past the Taurus. The Taurus swerved towards him, making him swerve away.

Mel was still looking over his shoulder. "This brings back fond NASCAR memories." he said.

"Let me try something." said Terry as he eased the wheel to the right.

The Taurus and Monte Carlo took to opposite shoulders and cut around traffic. When it cleared, Baker launched the Monte Carlo into the Taurus' lane. Unit Six swerved to avoid him and ended up spinning out.

"Unit Six to base. I'm out."

Baker looked over his shoulder and laughed. He then looked forward and stopped laughing. The Javelin was nowhere in sight. "Ah damn." he said.

He drove past a box truck and kept on going. He didn't realize Terry was hiding alongside the truck. Now, it was Mel's turn to laugh.

"That's the first time I've seen AMC win a Ford/Chevy battle." said Terry.

* * *

Dexter drove around Kailua-Kona looking for the checkpoint.

"How do you find this thing?" asked Nina as she tried to figure out the navigation system on her cell phone.

"Don't bother. I found it." said Dexter.

He pulled into the parking lot for a Wendy's.

"Okay, Bruce." he said. "I'm here. Mark me down."

"You're down." said Bruce, a man about Dexter's age.

"Who's ahead of me?" asked Dexter.

"The Challenger and the Land Rover were here a minute ago." said Bruce.

"Thanks." said Dexter.

He was back on the road immediately.

"How did they get here before us?" asked Nina.

"They probably found a shortcut or something." said Dexter.

He got on the road to the south. In front of him were a police Impala, a Ford Focus, and a Kia Rio. The Rio was in front and driving a scant forty-five miles per hour.

"Come on, we're in a race!" said Dexter.

"I thought the speed limit through here was fifty-five." said Nina.

"It is." said Dexter.

Finally, the roof lights on the police cruiser turned on and the Kia pulled over. The Focus passed it.

"Finally." said Dexter.

The cruiser stayed with the Focus for a few yards before it too pulled over. The cruiser pulled in behind it.

"Must have gotten pulled for tailgating." said Dexter.

Dexter tried to pass the entourage, but the Kia pulled back onto the road.

"No, no, no, no!" said Nina.

The Kia continued along at forty-five with the RX-8 behind it. Dexter couldn't find an opportunity to pass.

"I think the cop pulled over the wrong guy." said Nina.

* * *

South of Kailua-Kona, J.J. was keeping the Challenger going at high speed.

"At this rate, we should be able to make up some lost time." said J.J.

"I'm sorry." said Victor. "I didn't realize the restaurant took five minutes to cook a pizza."

"At least they let us take it to go." said Lisa.

J.J. swerved around a Firebird with a police light bar on the roof. The officer behind the wheel saw him and quickly gave chase.

"Uh, J.J?" asked Lisa. "That Firebird was a police car."

"So Max was right." said J.J. He pressed the pedal to the floor.

"This is unit eight." said the pursuing officer. "In pursuit of an orange Challenger heading south on Highway 11, but he's got a bit of a horsepower advantage over me. Requesting roadblock. Over."

"Ten-four, unit eight." replied dispatch. "Roadblock is being established. Over."

Down the road, Danny was cruising along in the Land Rover. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"So, what are you thinking?" asked Batman.

"I was thinking about the Fixx." said Danny. "I can usually think of five of their songs from the eighties, 'One Thing Leads To Another', 'Stand Or Fall', 'Red Skies', 'Saved By Zero', and there's another one, but I can't remember it."

"Not my scene." said Mad Dog.

"Drawing a blank." said Batman.

"Ah, it'll come to me." said Danny.

J.J. swerved around him.

"I thought J.J. was ahead of us." said Mad Dog.

Danny looked in his rearview and saw the Firebird. "Oh shit." he said. He floored the accelerator.

"J.J, let me take over." said Victor.

"Now?" asked J.J. "We're going a hundred and forty."

"J.J, I think you should listen to him." said Lisa.

"It's my fault we're running behind." said Victor. "Besides, I can be caught, you can't."

"Alright." said J.J. He set the cruise control and undid his seat belt. He started to crawl into the backseat while Victor grabbed the wheel from the passenger seat. "Almost got it." he said as he pulled his leg from the footwell. He then started to slide into the back as Victor slid into the driver's seat.

"DAH DAH DAH!" came the call as the Challenger suddenly got a burst of speed and J.J. was sent flying into the backseat narrowly missing Lisa. They both looked to the front and saw that Victor was now wearing an orange cape with a matching mask. The section around the eyes was black and the mask read "CHAOS" in yellow letters across the forehead.

"The captain is in play." said Mad Dog.

"Unit eight, roadblock has been established just ahead of your position. We have a visual on you. Over."

Just ahead of the Challenger, two police Impalas had formed a roadblock.

"Uh, Victor?" said J.J. "I know you like 'Vanishing Point', but this is not a good time to recreate the ending."

Chaos then swerved into the guardrail and tilted the Challenger onto its side wheels. The gap between the Impalas was just wide enough for the car to fit through.

"Unit eight, we lost the Challenger."

"We've still got the Land Rover." said Unit Eight. "He's been acting suspicious."

"We're between a rock and a hard place!" said Batman.

"Brace yourself!" yelled Danny.

As Mad Dog and Batman braced themselves, Danny swerved to the other side of the road from the guardrail. He hit a small mound and sent his Land Rover flying over one of the Impalas. However, he didn't get it high enough and ended up taking out the car's light bar. He then hit the pavement with a crash.

Danny let out a squeal of delight.

"Looks like the zoologists were wrong." said Mad Dog. "Kiwis CAN fly."

"Yeah." said Danny. "Oh, right! 'Are We Ourselves?' That was the Fixx song."

* * *

Max cruised along towards Naalehu.

"You know, I've been thinking." said Kurt. "Maybe this thing would work with some kind of upgrades."

"What kind of upgrades?" asked Max.

"Oh, just what we've put into the other cars." said Kurt. "You know, intercooler, ECU, nitrous..."

"Kurt." said Max. "Aren't you worried about what you're doing to these cars? I mean some of your cars started off at low rungs on the ladder, but this is a high end machine. I'd rather not mess with it."

"Not even a body kit?" asked Kurt.

They raced past a Ford Explorer with a light bar on the roof. It quickly gave chase.

Kurt looked over his shoulder at the pursuing truck. "Uh oh, we've got a Ford Exploder on our tail." he said.

Max looked confused. "They're chasing us with a Pinto?" he asked.

The Explorer's roof lights turned on.

"Oh, I see what you mean." said Max as he looked in the rearview. "Hang on, you're in good hands."

He quickly put the car into the next gear and floored the accelerator.

Max made the next left he could and raced down the street. The Explorer stayed with him. He then swerved around a slower car just before an oncoming car passed him. The Explorer couldn't pass until the oncoming car made it past him.

"Nice move." said Kurt.

"Boy, you haven't seen a nice move yet." said Max.

He then turned down the next street and swerved around more slower cars. The Explorer managed to stay with him.

"Good, you're losing him." said Kurt.

"Let's see how this works." said Max.

He turned down the next street and discovered it had been partially blocked off for road work.

"Uh oh." said Kurt.

"Not a problem." said Max.

He steered into the oncoming lane and aimed for a barricade. A second later, he plowed through it. He then jumped the car off of a dirt pile. He landed on a flatbed trailer and drove the length until he dropped off the end. The Explorer couldn't follow.

"There's your nice move." said Max as he turned back onto the main road.

Kurt just looked at him in shock.

* * *

Jacob reached Naalehu and steered down a street.

"Here we are!" said Charlie.

"Okay, we'll just swing in, check in, grab lunch, then head for Hilo." said Jacob.

Jill's Evolution drove past in the opposite lane.

"Was that the girl we were racing?" asked Charlie.

"Yep." said Jacob. He floored the accelerator.

At the end of the road, Pete waited at the checkpoint: an Arby's. Jacob raced into the parking lot, tore past Pete (nearly running him over), and raced out.

"Well, that was rude." said Pete.

Jacob raced out of the street and got onto Jill's tail.

"The guy in the Mustang is catching up." said Marcie.

"Yeah, we'd better hustle." said Jill. "By the way, do we know where Terry is?"

"I can call him." said Marcie.

She took out her cell phone. As she was dialling, Jacob passed them.

"Oh, there he is." said Jill.

"Let's take him down." said Marcie as she put the phone to her ear.

Jill threw it into the next gear and caught up with Jacob. Jacob saw her and tried to outrun her.

"Hey, Terry. It's Marcie." said Marcie. "Yeah, Jill and I just left the second checkpoint and we were just wondering something. Where are you?"

Jill swerved into the oncoming lane to pass Jacob. Jacob tried to cut her off, but she was already alongside him.

"Really?" asked Marcie. She turned to Jill and said "He's almost there." She then got back on the phone and said "Well, you know your opponent, Jacob? He's currently trying to outrun us."

A car appeared in front of them and honked its horn. Jill and Jacob swerved around it.

"Wait, you're in a high stakes race and you're stopping for lunch?" asked Marcie. "Well, why the hell did you skip breakfast? Yeah, I guess those timing belts are tricky."

Jill managed to get in front of Jacob. He tried to pass her again, but there were too many oncoming cars.

"So, how's Mel holding up?" asked Marcie. A second later, she laughed. "That does sound like him. Jill? She's fine. She seems to be holding on so far."

Jacob tried to pass Jill by swerving onto the shoulder. As he started to make it past her, a guardrail appeared before him. He couldn't get back onto the road in time, so he swerved off and into a field where he spun out.

"Uh, Terry?" asked Marcie. "I think you'll have no trouble catching up with Jacob now."

* * *

Minutes later, Terry was on his way out of Naalehu. Mel was eating a roast beef sandwich.

"Want a bite?" asked Mel.

"I don't eat when I'm driving." said Terry.

"Fine by me." said Mel.

"Hey, look who's here." said Terry. In front of them was Billy's Subaru.

In the Subaru, Dolores was taking pictures with her cell phone camera.

"More inspiration, huh?" asked Billy.

"Gotta get it somewhere." said Dolores.

"Hope it didn't blur." said Billy.

Terry pulled alongside and honked his horn. Billy rolled down his window.

"So what do you think so far?" asked Terry.

"Amazing." said Billy. "I can't believe you guys do this with the mainland."

"Hold on." said Mel.

He was listening to the CB radio. Billy had his on as well. Police officers were exchanging information.

"We're still keeping an eye out for those racers. We have their descriptions from Waimea."

"Hey, they're talking about us." said Dolores.

"Watch this." said Terry. He picked up the microphone and pressed the button. "This is unit eight. We've got a report of those speeders heading west from Naalehu. Am investigating now. Over."

"Copy, unit eight."

Terry and Mel laughed. Billy and Dolores looked at them in surprise. "Dude, that was slick." he said.

"What can I say?" asked Terry. "Sometimes, you gotta take the big risk."

"My turn. My turn." said Mel as he stopped laughing. He took the microphone and said "This is unit six. I am investigating a report of a vehicle matching the description of one of those racers. Somewhere south of Naalehu in the vicinity of Green Sand Beach. Over."

"Copy on that report, unit six."

"How did you know about Green Sand Beach?" asked Dolores.

Mel just held up a road atlas.

"Let me try one." said Billy. He picked up his microphone and said "This is unit eleven. I am currently looking into a report of racing vehicles in the area of Pahala. Descriptions match those of racing vehicles. Over."

"Sir, this is an emergency channel to be used by authorized personel only. Please stay off the line."

"What did I do wrong?" asked Billy.

"You didn't believe." said Terry.

* * *

Abel and Young drove past a diner in the van. Parked at the diner was Danny's Land Rover.

"Wait, there's the Land Rover!" said Abel.

Young pulled into the diner's parking lot. "Yeah, that's definitely it." he said. "Let's go inside and see if we can find the driver."

They got out of the van and entered the diner. Inside, "Some Kind Of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad was playing over the jukebox.

Meanwhile, Batman was looking over said jukebox. "I don't recall seeing this song on here." he said. "Oh, there it is, complete with typo." The song was listed as "Some King Of Wonderful".

"Okay, using your profiling skills, can you figure out who the Land Rover's occupants are?" asked Abel.

"Not really." said Young as he looked around. "I can't see anyone here who'd fit in with Dexter's crew and would be driving a Land Rover."

Within earshot, a man was sitting at the counter. "You're looking for the guys in that Land Rover?" he asked.

"You know who it is?" asked Abel.

"Sure do." said the man. "He had the nerve to make fun of my social standing. It's that guy over there." He pointed to a couple of men at a table.

"Thank you very much." said Young.

As Young and Abel went to question the men at the table, Danny paid for a couple of sodas and carried them to the door. Batman and the man at the counter joined him.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." said the man.

"What's up, Mad Dog?" asked Batman.

"I just saved our asses is what." said Mad Dog.

Abel walked up to one of the men at the table and said "I'd like to talk to you about your vehicle."

"If you've got the cash, I'll hand it over." said one man.

"Excuse me?" asked Abel.

"You're asking about the Supra, right?" asked the man.

Abel and Young looked to the parking lot. They saw a white '90 Supra with a for sale sign in the window. They also saw Danny pulling out.

"Son of a bitch." said Young.

Danny pulled onto the road. "So, what's the deal?" he asked.

"Those two guys were looking for someone running with Dexter's crew." said Mad Dog as he took the soda from his mouth. "They also had a description of this rig and were looking for the driver."

"For what?" asked Danny.

"Hey, when's the last time the police came to you for a good reason?" asked Mad Dog.

Some distance behind them, Abel was in hot pursuit with Young in the passenger seat.

"Why did you want me up here?" asked Young.

"Because we're in a high speed chase and I would rather have you in the seat with a seat belt." said Abel.

"Can you keep up with him?" asked Young.

"I'm not sure." said Abel. "We're only carrying about five hundred pounds of equipment back there."

"I think you should take it off the highway." said Batman. "You know, more area to search."

"Hold on to your sodas." said Danny.

He quickly made the next turn with Abel right behind him.

"We've got him now." said Young. "You know where this road goes? Since the eruption of ninety-four, nowhere."

The road started to get rougher as they continued.

"Is it just me or is this road in a bit of disrepair?" asked Batman.

"Danny, this road is in really sad shape." said Mad Dog. "I think this was a bad choice."

Danny went around a blind turn and came upon the end of the road which dead ended at a hillside.

"Danny?" asked Mad Dog.

"Brace yourself." said Danny.

He moved one hand to the lever for the transfer case and threw it into four-wheel-drive.

He then drove up the hill at the end of the road and kept going.

Abel hit the brakes and skidded into the hill. Young lurched against his shoulder strap, then fell back into his seat after the collision.

"Now, aren't you glad I gave you the seat with the belt?" asked Abel.

* * *

Dexter pulled into the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts in Hilo. His guy was waiting and checked him off the list. He then pulled out of the parking lot.

"Okay, now back to Waimea." said Dexter.

"Yay." said Nina.

"Now, the question is seaside or mountains." said Dexter.

"There's a difference?" asked Nina.

"According to Kurt," said Dexter "Route 14 along the coast is shorter, but I think Route 200 through the mountains might be faster."

"Prettier too." said Nina. She was texting at that time.

Baker was parked outside of Hilo. He heard a chime and checked his cell phone. "Bless you, Nina." he said. The text message read "DXTR MAY TK R200".

* * *

Jill, on the other hand, had decided to take the seaside route to Waimea.

"Hey, check that out." said Marcie. She pointed at a pickup truck carrying a load of junk.

"What about it?" asked Jill. "We see that all the time in L.A."

"Look at the fan." said Marcie. There was a fan in the junk. The blades were spinning due to the headwind.

"I see, but I really don't see why that's special." said Jill. She didn't notice Jacob coming up behind her.

"There's the Evo." said Jacob.

"Yeah, time for revenge." said Charlie. "I can't believe it took us that long to get out of the ditch."

"Let's show them how we catch up." said Jacob.

Jacob floored his accelerator. Jill noticed him now. "There's that Stang again." she said.

"Waste him." said Marcie.

Jill put the Evolution into the next gear and floored it. Jacob did the same.

Jill swerved around a big truck, then cut in front of it. Jacob swerved around the other side.

"Come on, baby." said Jacob. "Let's get us some Mitsubishi."

Jill pulled onto the shoulder to pass traffic. Jacob tried to pass the traffic on the other side, but was caught behind a slower car.

Jill came back onto the road and took her lead. "See ya back at the club." she said.

"Let's use her tactic against her." said Jacob.

He pulled onto the shoulder to pass traffic. He ended up with a decent view of a car parked on the side of the road. He yelped as he plowed on the brakes. He came to a stop just shy of hitting the car.

"Got anymore bright ideas?" asked Charlie.

* * *

J.J. and Victor had chosen to take Route 200. Chaos was behind the wheel and they had just returned to Waimea.

"We're almost to the finish." said Lisa.

"No, just the checkpoint." said J.J. "We've got three more islands after this one."

"We'll finish those as well, J.J." said Chaos.

"Hopefully, we'll finish in first." said J.J. as he looked in the rearview. Dexter was fast catching up.

"There's the Challenger." said Dexter.

"Yeah, get him." said Nina.

Behind Dexter was Baker in his Monte Carlo.

"That's right." he said. "Where are you going, Dexter? I got you."

"Go for it, Chaos!" yelled J.J.

Chaos went to the next gear and swerved around a slower truck. Dexter, then Baker followed.

Dexter noticed Baker on his tail in the rearview, then looked over his shoulder.

"What is it?" asked Nina.

"That Monte is following us." said Dexter. "Nobody drives like that on these roads."

"You are." said Nina.

Dexter glanced at her, then looked back at the road.

"We've got company." said Lisa.

"I know. Dexter's back there." said J.J.

"No, some guy in a Monte Carlo." said Lisa.

This time, J.J. looked over his shoulder. "Floor it, Chaos." he said.

The three cars raced into town and made a right turn. The Challenger and RX-8 drifted a little while the Monte Carlo held on.

"It's only eight blocks to the club." announced Chaos. "I believe we shall be victorious!"

He weaved his way through traffic, but Dexter caught a break and passed him.

"Dammit." muttered J.J. "Come on, Chaos!"

Dexter launched into a high speed left turn with the Challenger right behind him. A Ford Tempo swerved to avoid them and spun out.

Baker made it around the turn next at high speed. Then he saw the spun out Tempo and swerved. He ended up driving into the parking lot of a convenience store and stopping short of an exiting car.

"Sorry!" he said to the driver of the other car.

Meanwhile, the Challenger and RX-8 made their way to the club.

"You can do it!" yelled Lisa.

Chaos pushed the accelerator to the floor and started to edge past the Mazda. Dexter saw this though.

Dexter went to his next gear. He then looked forward at the club's entrance. Chaos tried to keep up.

The Mazda raced into the parking lot followed by the Challenger. Monkey saw them enter and looked at them stunned.

The two cars came to a stop. Dexter and J.J. climbed out and approached each other.

"Nice race, man." said Dexter.

"Who was that guy in the Monte Carlo?" asked J.J.

"No idea." said Dexter. "I thought he was with you guys."

J.J. looked back at Lisa and Chaos, then back to Dexter. "I think we have a problem." he said.

* * *

Max pulled into the club's parking lot half an hour later. The rest of the field had already finished.

Max and Kurt climbed out of the Audi. "So, who won?" asked Max.

Dexter raised his hand.

"Ah, that's my boy." said Max.

Mad Dog walked over to J.J. "So, what did we do wrong?" he asked.

"We underestimated him." said J.J. "We thought his street skills were limited to quarter-mile drags and drifting. We didn't think he was up for the long haul."

"Now we know better." said Mad Dog. "We'll get him on the next leg."

"Hope so." said J.J.

Elsewhere...

"Got something for us?" asked Terry.

"Sure do." said Monkey. He opened the trunk of the Sentra, revealing several boxes labeled "Edelbrock".

"Alright." said Terry. "This appears to be just what we need to make a difference. Nice work."

"And we only got you a blender for your wedding." said Mel.

"Which one?" asked Monkey.

Elsewhere, Dexter called up one of the checkpoints on his cell phone. "Yeah, I'm just checking on the results of the checkpoint." he said. "How did we do?" He listened to the answer and asked "What?" He then turned and yelled "Jacob!"

Jacob turned to him and said "What?"

"I just called Shawn in Hilo." said Dexter sternly. "He said that you never checked into the checkpoint there."

"Hey, we just wanted to show up the girl." said Jacob. "We were going to leave winning the leg to you."

"What if YOU had to do that?" yelled Dexter. "What if it was between you and one of them because I got out of it for some reason? What if it was the last leg? What if you pulled that stunt and your run didn't count? I'll tell you what. That would've been the race right then and there."

"Dex, if you're relying on us to win this race for you, you've got more serious problems than incompetance." said Charlie.

Dexter groaned and walked away. Max walked into his path and stood in front of him.

"Dad, I'm sorry." said Dexter. "I got mad at him..."

"Son, you're in charge of this team." said Max. "Your guys pulled a stunt which could have cost us the race and you showed some responsibility in disciplining them."

"Oh, you're okay with that then." said Dexter.

"Sure am." said Max. "You're growing up, son. Now, let's go get you an ice cream."

Elsewhere...

"And then I look in the rearview and there's a van back there." said Danny.

"With us, it was a Monte Carlo." said Lisa.

"You think the police are tageting us?" asked Batman.

"Don't know." said Jill. "I hope they don't follow us to the next island."

Nearby, Nina got on her cell phone. "Baker, it's Nina. They're onto you." she said.

* * *

"Thanks, Nina." said Baker. He hung up his cell phone. "Well, the Cannonballers and Dexter's crew will be watching for us now." he said.

"I can't believe we chased them all over this island and didn't get them." said Abel.

"I think we need to rework our tactics." said Young.

"I think we should ditch the van." said Baker. "We need something that will keep up with them."

"I'll see if there's something we can get out of impound." said Abel.

"I think we're going to need a better driver." said Young. "Abel and I tried to take down that Land Rover with the Sprinter and they lost us."

"I think I know what we need." said Abel.

"Baker, there's one issue with ditching the van." said Young. "What do we do with the equipment inside?"

Baker looked at the Monte Carlo. "I think the real question is how much essential equipment can we put into the Monte Carlo?"


	5. A New Threat

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Chapter Five: A New Threat

AN:While I was working on the last chapter, I had an idea for a new character. He makes his debut here. Here is his cast listing:

Jimmy Madison-Brian Bloom

I'd like to thank Anthony Bannon for coming up with the name.  
And so, here we go.

A few hours after the racers finished in Waimea, they loaded their cars onto a plane and flew to Maui. The sun was setting when they arrived, so they drove to the nearest hotel and checked in.

While the other racers were preparing to rest for the evening, Terry was under the hood of the Javelin installing the parts Monkey had gotten him.

Mel looked at some of the parts he had removed. "Good thing you took these out." he said. "They look like they've had it."

"They did their job when they had to." said Terry. "I hope they enjoy retirement."

"Not the kind of retirement I'd enjoy." said Billy as he walked over.

"What are you doing here?" asked Mel.

"Surely, you realize the construction of this engine is vastly different from that of your Subaru." said Terry.

"Three hundred ninety cubic inch V-8 versus a two-point-five liter horizontally opposed four." said Billy. "Yeah, I kinda got that. No, I just wanted to see how this was done."

"Heard about how you took down Mad Dog." said Mel. "I'll bet that woke him up."

"You're not like the other members of Dexter's crew." said Terry. "You're nicer than the others."

"I try." said Billy. "I mean Dexter's kind of mysterious. He's nice to his teammates. A couple of nights ago, he even took me out to train in a skill I was lacking in. When it comes to his opponents, he can be devious and even aggressive. Jacob and Charlie are the really mean ones. If you can help it, don't cross them."

"'Don't cross them' he says." said Terry. "You're aware that they're the guys I'm directly facing, right?"

"Well, watch yourself." said Billy.

"What about Kurt or Nina?" asked Mel.

"Kurt is kind of a geek." said Billy. "I don't think anyone in Hawaii knows more aout the inner workings of the internal combustion engine than he does. Unfortunately, it doesn't earn him a lot of respect with Jacob and Charlie. Dexter usually has to have me crack them in response. Nina came to us recently. She's kind of a ditz, but Dexter hangs onto her like first prize. She does show flashes of brilliance sometimes."

"What about your girl?" asked Terry.

"That's for me to know, and you not to." said Billy.

* * *

At Hana Airport the next morning, Baker and Young were removing pieces of equipment from the trunk of the Monte Carlo.

"I don't think we'll need that." said Baker.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Young.

"How much of this stuff can we add before it compromises the performance of the car?" asked Baker.

"I don't know." said Young. "I'm not a mechanic."

"Where's Abel?" asked Baker.

"He went to get some assistance." said Young.

"What kind of assistance?" asked Baker as he stopped working.

"The kind that cuts down on someone's jail time." said Young.

* * *

In a police interrogation room somewhere on Maui, Abel sat with a tall man with short, black hair.

"Jimmy Madison, you have quite a track record." said Abel. "The guys in Honalulu have a long list of infractions on your sheet. Speeding, reckless driving, a couple of hit and runs."

"Guy needs a hobby." said Jimmy.

"Well, your hobby just might be beneficial to us." said Abel. "Your assistance just might be beneficial to you."

"By that, I assume you want me to do some driving." said Jimmy.

"That's correct." said Abel.

"I also assume you'll commute my sentence." said Jimmy.

"Also correct." said Abel.

"So, what's the task?" asked Jimmy.

"You'll be helping us to take down another professional driver." said Abel. "He's a street racer with some outstanding problems."

"Say no more." said Jimmy. "I'll give you a hand."

"Good." said Abel. "I'll talk to the warden and we'll see about getting you into a new car. Oh, one more thing. After you're free, you might want to try a new hobby. I've heard good things about collecting books."

* * *

Elsewhere in Hana, a young man with dark hair walked around the Cultural Center taking pictures. He then heard engines and looked in their direction. The Cannonballers and street racers then drove down the road and pulled into the Cultural Center's parking lot.

The young man looked on in curiosity as the racers got out of their cars. "You've gotta be kidding me." he muttered.

"Okay, what's this thing you wanted to tell me?" asked Mad Dog.

"I know it sounds unlikely," said Max "but there's a ferry service between some of the islands. If we use that to get to Molokai, we can finish a day sooner."

"Where does this ferry leave from?" asked Mad Dog.

"Lahaina." said Max. "It's on the other side of the island."

"That was the original checkpoint anyway." said Mad Dog.

"Looking at your travel guide," said Max "I'd suggest Kaluako'i as our new finish line."

"That was going to be the finish line when we did that island." said Mad Dog.

The man walked over to the racers. "Fancy seeing you guys here." he said.

"And you are?" asked J.J.

"Hey, I know you." said Jill. "You gave me a speeding ticket during the Cannonball two years ago."

"That's the guy?" asked Marcie.

"That's me." said the man. "Billy Baricza, California Highway Patrol."

"Baricza?" asked Dexter.

"My uncle was with the CHP." said Baricza. "Rick Rosner named Brodie Greer's character on 'CHiPs' after him."

"Think he'd be interested in knowing you're into the Cannonball?" asked Jill.

"Yeah, I think so." said Baricza. "Not much he can do about though. It's my life."

"What are you doing here?" asked Terry.

"I'm on vacation." said Baricza. "Rest and relaxation, that sort of thing. Hey, what are you doing here?"

"We're having a kind of mini-Cannonball." said J.J. "We're going across the Hawaiian islands."

"Really?" asked Baricza.

"We're starting off from here and heading to the west coast of Molokai." said Mad Dog.

"Wow." said Baricza. "Need another driver?"

"Wait, are you volunteering?" asked Billy Dubois.

"Do you have any idea how much I want to enter this thing?" asked Baricza.

"Well, you can drive for us." said Jill.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" said Baricza.

"The green Evo." said Marcie.

"Nice." said Baricza.

"Okay, listen up." said Mad Dog. "We're about to start the second leg of the race. After some discussion with Max, we've combined it with the Molokai leg and we'll use the ferry at Lahaina to get there. The new finish line is Kaluako'i. Right now, we've got a new driver joining us, CHP officer Billy Baricza."

Baricza raised his fists in a mock victory pose.

"We're going to leave immediately, just like we did last time." said Mad Dog. "That is two at a time at twenty second intervals. First, Challenger and RX-8, then Evo and Scooby, Javelin and Mustang, and finally Land Rover and Audi. Everybody ready?"

Everyone looked at Kurt and said "Yeah." or "Sure."

"Alright, let's hit it." said Mad Dog.

The racers ran for their cars. Nina took out her cell phone and pressed a button.

* * *

At the Hana Airport, Baker checked his cell phone. "Nina just sent me a text message." he said. "The race is starting."

"Great, we can head them off." said Young.

"Not until Abel and his guy get here." said Baker. "I have to inform him of this development."

Just then, a white Nissan 350Z pulled up. Abel got out of the passenger seat and Jimmy got out of the driver's seat.

"Agent Baker?" asked Jimmy. "Jimmy Madison. Nice to be working with you."

"So, what's your story?" asked Baker.

"He's a professional wheelman for the local criminal element." said Abel. "We managed to arrest him due to a mistake on his part."

"No one's perfect." said Jimmy.

"Well, you'd better come close." said Baker.

"So, what's the job?" asked Jimmy. "It's not usual I get hired to do something legal."

"There is a fugitive from justice taking part in a road race across the state." said Baker. "Your assignment is to take him in. He's driving a heavily customized Mazda RX-8. It's white with a Veilside body kit and green and yellow graphics."

Jimmy stared at him blankly.

"Do you need a picture?" asked Baker.

"No, I know what you're talking about." said Jimmy. "I'm just trying to process the situation you described."

"Have you heard of the Cannonball Run?" asked Young.

"Oh, now it makes sense." said Jimmy.

"The target is to be apprehended alive if possible." said Baker. "So, try not to hurt him too badly. Also, his passenger is our insider. She is not to be harmed either."

"Understood." said Jimmy. "What kind of driving is he skilled at?"

"He's a street racer." said Young. "He's known for several different techniques. Take caution."

"One more thing." said Baker. "He is competing against several other opponents in the race. If any get in the way, you're free to subdue them in self-defense."

"Cool." said Jimmy.

* * *

Monkey dropped his hands and the Land Rover and Audi took off. Down the road, the rest of the field raced along the "Road To Hana".

In the Evolution, Baricza was driving while Jill was in the passenger seat and Marcie sat in back.

"So, it's just you and your Crown Vic out there?" asked Jill.

"For now." said Baricza. "We're starting to get those Chargers now."

"Ooh." said Marcie. "That thing's got a Hemi."

"Better warn your opponents next year...or not." said Baricza.

"Have you pulled over any other Cannonballers?" asked Jill.

"Well, I pulled over the guy in the Land Rover last year." said Baricza. "He got held up for several hours."

"That explains why he finished so late." said Marcie.

"I also managed to pull over those two fake Brits in the Bentley." said Baricza.

"Thank you." said Jill.

"Yeah, the rest of us hate those guys." said Marcie.

"So did I." said Baricza. "I also got Jackie and Michael this year."

"You know their names?" asked Marcie.

"They're major." said Baricza. "So, who have you run from in California."

"Well, it's hard to tell you guys apart outside of your cars." said Jill. "I mean you've all got that panda paint scheme going. If we don't see the officers in person, we can't tell."

"Good point." said Baricza.

* * *

At the entrance to the airport, Baker sat behind the wheel of his Monte Carlo while Jimmy was ahead of him in the Z-Car. Abel was in Jimmy's passenger seat while Young was riding with Baker.

Victor's Challenger came racing along the road followed by Dexter's RX-8, Billy's Subaru, and Terry's Javelin.

"Target spotted." said Jimmy into his radio. He revved his engine a couple of times.

"Go get him." said Baker into his radio.

After the Challenger and RX-8 passed, Jimmy took off after them. The Impreza and Javelin made it past him before Jimmy got on the road.

As Billy raced along, Terry pulled into the opposite lane and blew past him.

"Looks like his late night tune up paid off." said Billy.

Jimmy then raced past him in his Nissan.

"Who the hell was that?" asked Dolores.

"Got me." said Billy. "I don't know of anyone who drives a stock-looking Z-car."

Terry continued to pour on the speed.

"Oh man, you smoked him." said Mel.

"Yeah." said Terry.

Jimmy got on his tail and continued to close in. "Is that a Javelin?" he asked.

He tried to pass Terry, but Terry pulled into his path.

"Jerk!" yelled Jimmy.

"Hey, you just cut off that Z-Car." said Mel.

"Someone decided to join us?" asked Terry.

Jimmy steadied his hands and glanced at the back of the Javelin.

"What are you going to do?" asked Abel.

"I'm going to try a PIT maneuver." said Jimmy.

"Can you do those?" asked Abel.

"I do them all the time." said Jimmy. "Of course, I usually drive a Cadillac."

"What?" asked Abel as he looked to him.

"Well, sometimes a Dodge." said Jimmy. He picked up the radio microphone, pressed the button, and said "Hey, Javelin. You see me back here?"

Terry got on his radio. "Yeah, I see you now." he said. "Sorry I cut you off. Blind spot."

"I think it's best that you move out of the way." said Jimmy. "I'm after the RX-8, not you."

"What?" asked Terry. "What are you planning to do to him?"

"None of your concern." said Jimmy.

"It is my concern." said Terry. "I'm in a race with him and I want to win legitimately, not through external circumstances."

"Fine by me." said Jimmy. "By the way, how much work did you put into that Jav?"

"It's a work in progress." said Terry. "We just added a new intake manifold, camshafts, carburetor. We'll add more later."

"Well, a fool can throw a rock into a pond that ten wise men cannot retrieve." said Jimmy.

"Excuse me?" asked Terry.

Jimmy rear-ended him.

"Jesus!" yelled Terry.

"Whoa, easy." said Abel.

"Yeah, it should be." said Jimmy.

He pulled back and rammed him again.

"This guy would be right at home in NASCAR." said Mel.

Jimmy pulled to the side, pulled up a little, then put his bumper into Terry's. The Javelin went into a wild spin.

"Adieu." said Jimmy.

The Javelin came to rest completely unscathed, but the occupants were a little shaken up.

"Ah, Jesus Christ!" yelled Terry.

"That guy was out for blood!" said Mel.

"Yeah, Dexter's blood." said Terry. "We'd better get back out there."

As Terry put the car back into first gear, Mel leaned out of the window and looked at the front.

"Uh, Terry." he said. "We have a flat. Looks like the bead popped off the rim."

Terry just cut the ignition, then kicked the firewall.

* * *

Down the road, J.J. and Dexter had lost their pursuers.

"How's our lead?" asked J.J.

"Better than yesterday." said Victor as he looked over his shoulder.

J.J. checked his rearview mirror. Dexter was some distance behind.

"Any idea what happened last night?" asked Lisa.

"I'm still researching the occurance." said Victor. "I'll let you know when I have something definite."

"What, what's going on here?" asked J.J. In front of them, a police car was parked across the road with an officer directing traffic down the next highway.

J.J. pulled up to the officer and rolled down his window. The officer looked to him and said "Car accident up ahead. Took out both directions."

"Any casualties?" asked J.J.

"Some bad injuries, none life threatening." said the officer.

"Thank God for that." said J.J. "So, how do we get through here?"

"You'll have to take an alternate route this way." said the officer as he pointed down a road leading inland.

"Thanks, officer." said J.J.

He then turned down the road with Dexter behind him.

"Go slow until we're out of his sight." said Lisa.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." said Victor as he looked to the thick traffic ahead.

* * *

Baker drove into the detour and also got tangled in the thick traffic.

"On the bright side, I don't think they'll be making a clean getaway." said Young.

"I think we should call Abel and Madison to update the situation." said Baker.

"I'll save you the minutes." said Young as he looked at the cars ahead. He then leaned out the window and yelled "Hey, Abel!"

Abel leaned out of the 350Z ahead of the Monte Carlo and yelled "Hey, fancy seeing you here!"

"See any of them yet?" asked Young.

"We encountered the Javelin, scratched same!" yelled Abel. "We lost the rest in the traffic jam!"

"So did we!" yelled Young.

"Any leads on the target?" asked Abel.

"Not yet!" yelled Young.

"Well, keep hunting!" yelled Abel.

"Same to you!" yelled Young.

The two men pulled their heads back into their cars.

"Are you really sure that's a conversation you want to have in the presence of everyone?" asked Baker.

* * *

Meanwhile, Terry had stuck a screwdriver in the gap and was trying to pop the bead back onto the rim.

Mel was on his cell phone. "Okay, I'll pass that along." he said. He hung up and said "That was Jill. There's a traffic jam up ahead."

"Great." said Terry. "So much for catching up."

"I don't know." said Mel. "Maybe we'll catch a break or something."

"Even if we do, it's not going to happen unless we fix this tire." said Terry. "You got that can of Fix-A-Flat ready?"

"All set." said Mel. "You sure know how to stay prepared."

"This far from home, you gotta be." said Terry.

* * *

In the Land Rover which was also stuck in the traffic jam...

"Don't let yourself go." sang Batman "'Cause everybody cries. Everybody hurts. Sometimes."

"Could you knock that off?" snapped Danny.

"Thought you'd like some entertainment." said Batman.

"Well, at least sing one of their earlier songs?" asked Danny.

"Follow me, don't follow me." sang Batman. "Got my spine, I've got my orange crush."

"You know, Danny." said Mad Dog. "You do realize this is a Land Rover, right? You can probably navigate the rough terrain between this road and the one we're supposed to take."

"Yeah, but can I legally do that?" asked Danny.

"You have to ask?" asked Mad Dog.

Danny pondered his question for a couple of seconds, then turned off the road at the next opportunity.

"Yeah, that's the spirit." said Mad Dog.

* * *

With the front tire on the Javelin reinflated, Terry and Mel got back on the road.

"We lost a lot of time because of that incident." said Mel.

"Yeah, and we're gonna lose more with that traffic jam." said Terry.

"So, what do we do about it?" asked Mel.

"All we can do is hope and pray." said Terry. "You never know. A miracle just might happen."

"To us?" asked Mel.

Terry laughed off the remark. "So, where is this traffic jam supposed to start?" he asked.

Mel closed his eyes and thought. "Turnoff for Route three-sixty." he said.

"I'll keep my eyes open." said Terry.

* * *

Jacob and Charlie crept along in the traffic jam.

Jacob looked at the speedometer which gave a reading of around ten miles per hour. "This is wrong on so many levels." he said.

"Boring too." said Charlie.

"Looks like everyone is frozen in the same position." said Jacob.

"Right." said Charlie. "On the bright side, you're finally taking it a little easy."

"What?" asked Jacob.

"It's true." said Charlie. "Your driving style is very agressive, almost abusive. Look at how I drive. I don't drive agressively."

"You drive a Yaris." said Jacob. "You can't drive agressively."

Charlie glared at him. "Anyway," he said "we will most likely be able to defeat the guys in the Javelin."

"Yeah, he's gonna get caught in the traffic jam too." said Jacob.

* * *

"Turnoff's coming up." said Mel.

"Great, let's see how bad it is." said Terry.

They came upon the turnoff, but they saw that traffic was being let through. The police car that had been blocking off the highway was now pulled off to the side.

"What's going on here?" asked Terry.

"Pull over and I'll ask." said Mel.

Terry pulled up next to the police car and Mel rolled down his window. "Hey, I heard from a friend that the highway was closed off because of an accident." he said.

"Oh, we just cleared that up." said the officer. "You can go through now."

"Thank you kindly." said Mel.

"You're welcome." said the officer. "By the way, nice Javelin."

Terry flashed a thumbs-up and pulled out.

Mel laughed. "Hard to believe that attack actually gave us an advantage." he said.

"When Jacob finds out, he's gonna blow a gasket." said Terry.

* * *

In the Subaru, Billy and Dolores were listening to Pearl Jam's best of collection. The song playing then was "Dissident".

"At least the scenery's nice." said Dolores.

"Want to take a picture so you can paint it later?" asked Billy.

"Are you kidding?" asked Dolores. "I could probably paint it now."

The final strings of the song played out. Billy turned off the stereo. Dolores looked at him strangely.

"Can't listen to 'rearviewmirror' at a snail's pace." said Billy.

* * *

Danny managed to guide his Land Rover across the countryside until he reached the highway.

"See?" asked Mad Dog. "Nothing like a Land Rover."

"With the possible exception of a Jeep." said Danny.

"Great, we'll bring one of those next time." said Batman.

"We can probably relax right now." said Mad Dog. "Everybody else is tied up in the traffic jam."

That's when Terry raced past him in the Javelin.

"Was that Terry?" asked Danny.

"Yeah, looks like he's back in the game." said Mad Dog.

Danny accelerated until he had caught up with Terry, then honked his horn.

"Hey, guys!" yelled Mel.

"I thought the road was blocked off." said Danny.

"Crisis averted." said Mel.

"Race you to the ferry." said Danny.

"You're on, Kiwi boy." said Terry.

"He says it's on!" said Mel.

"Alright." said Danny.

* * *

"Good news." said Max. "We're almost back to the highway."

"Finally." said Kurt.

"And once we get back on the road, you're gonna see some real driving." said Max.

"Hey, dad." said Kurt. "Remember I was talking about tuning this sucker?"

"Yeah, I do." said Max.

"Maybe you'd like to see how I do what I do someday." said Kurt.

"Kurt, I have been watching what you do." said Max. "What you do to those cars is incredible."

"Thanks, it takes some experience and hard work." said Kurt. "I could do up a car just for you someday. Any requests?"

"Yeah, hold on." said Max.

The traffic started to spread out when they reached the highway. Dolores turned on the stereo in the Subaru and was greeted by the opening strings of "rearviewmirror".

* * *

The Cannonballers made it to the highway and took off for Lahaina. As the traffic spread out, Baker made his way through.

"I see our target." said Baker.

"Got it." said Young. In front of them was the Evolution.

"So, looks like we're making good time." said Jill.

"Yeah, you're good at this." said Marcie.

"Thanks." said Baricza. "Comes from years of fantasizing, watching the videos, playing 'Gran Turismo', also there's that police training."

"Yeah, I can imagine you'd train for the highways." said Marcie. "I mean, you are the California HIGHWAY Patrol."

Behind them, Baker started to catch up in the Monte Carlo. "Take him easy." said Young.

"You got it." said Baker.

He pulled up behind the Mitsubishi and flashed his lights.

"Is that the Monte that J.J. warned us about?" asked Jill.

"I think it is." said Marcie.

"What about him?" asked Baricza.

"He chased J.J. and Dexter all the way to the finish." said Marcie. "We think he might be a police unit."

"Odds are against two similar cars." said Baricza. "Let's see if he is with the law."

He floored the accelerator. Baker tried to do the same and stay on Baricza's tail.

"Okay, ladies." said Baricza. "Take a cue from the arcade motorcycle game from the 80s and hang on."

"What game is that?" asked Jill.

"Hang On." said Baricza.

He then swerved through traffic with the Monte Carlo on his tail. Baker, however, wasn't able to change lanes quickly enough and started to fall behind.

"This guy is good!" said Baker.

"I see that." said Young. "Let's see how good."

Baricza made his way through a thick section with little trouble. Baker wasn't as lucky and struggled to keep up.

"Looks like he's a city cop." said Baricza. "He's definitely not trained for a pursuit on the highway. He's suffering for that."

"Who IS this guy?" yelled Baker as he dropped behind even more.

"Maybe we should discard more of the equipment." said Young.

"Yeah, we should do that." said Baker.

"I'd say his car is also overloaded." said Baricza. "I know someone who's got a Monte. Doesn't handle or accelerate nearly that badly."

"Think he can stay with us to the ferry?" asked Marcie.

"Watch." said Baricza as he hit an open stretch. He floored it.

Baker watched as the Evolution pulled away. "We lost him!" he yelled.

"Who was that guy?" asked Young.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he was a cop." said Baker. "No one else drives that well without training."

* * *

Jacob raced on the highway towards Lahaina. He was making his way through traffic.

"Do you have any idea of how much time we lost with that traffic jam?" asked Jacob.

"No idea whatsoever." said Charlie. "Maybe we should try this again and find out?"

"I hope the car's up to it." said Jacob. "I've been 'abusing' the engine as usual."

"Well, keep your eyes open for the guy in the Javelin." said Charlie.

"What's to watch for?" asked Jacob. "You saw that spin he took. He's probably a long way back."

That's when he noticed the Javelin ahead of him.

"You've got to be kidding me." he said.

"There's Jacob." said Mel as he looked in the rearview.

"Took him long enough." said Terry.

Jacob accelerated until he was able to catch up to the Javelin. Terry just put the AMC into the next gear and started to pull away.

"No no no, not this time, buddy." said Jacob. He put his Mustang into the next gear and tried to catch up.

"He's catching up...or trying to." said Mel.

"Guess he's not he only one who can hot rod a muscle car." said Terry.

"He didn't do it." said Mel. "Kenny Brown did."

"Come on!" said Charlie. "He's getting away!"

"Not yet he isn't." said Jacob.

He upshifted again, but unfortunately a second too late. A loud crack was heard, then a stream of smoke started to emit from under the hood.

"Uh oh, he broke it." said Mel.

"Kenny Brown is gonna kill him." said Terry.

"What did you do?" asked Charlie. "I've got oil spraying all over my side of the windshield!"

"Something went wrong!" said Jacob.

"No shit!"

"Come on, I'm losing power!" said Jacob.

"What did he do?" asked Mel.

"I don't know." said Terry. "I'll have to take a look when I get a chance."

* * *

Elsewhere, the Challenger was racing for Lahaina.

"Other than the traffic jam, we're making good time." said Victor.

"Yeah, I hope we can make the ferry." said J.J.

"According to the guide, they leave every hour." said Lisa as she looked at her travel guide.

None of them realized that Jimmy was right behind them in the 350Z.

"I've spotted another racer." said Jimmy.

"Is it Dexter?" asked Abel.

"No, but it is a fitting replacement." said Jimmy.

He started to close in on the Challenger. J.J. saw him in his rearview. "Uh oh, there's that Z-car again." he said.

"Gotta lose him." said Victor.

"Let's see what he can do." said J.J.

He pulled away from the Nissan. Jimmy tried to keep up.

"You're not going to try to ram him, are you?" asked Abel. "In case you haven't noticed, that's a Dodge Challenger."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to have to try a different tactic." said Jimmy.

Jimmy pulled out to try to pass him.

"Uh, you realize he's not going to try to run us off the road, right?" asked Lisa. "I mean look at him. We've got a serious size advantage."

"Yeah, what is he planning?" asked J.J.

Jimmy managed to outaccelerate the Challenger and get in front of him.

"Don't tell me he's gonna..." said Victor.

Jimmy got on his brakes. J.J. swerved to avoid hitting him.

"Is this guy suicidal or something?" yelled Lisa.

Jimmy got back on the accelerator.

"That was your plan?" asked Abel.

"Something sudden happens, a person panics." said Jimmy. "They usually do something stupid as a result."

"That's not going to work once he remembers high school physics." said Abel.

J.J. picked up the microphone for the CB radio. "Hey, Z-Car." he said. "Are you insane or something?"

"I can't really discuss this with you." said Jimmy in response.

"My teammates and I agree that you're very likely to be killed if this much larger and heavier muscle car slams into that sports machine of yours." said J.J.

"The Titanic sank." said Jimmy. "Goliath lost. The dinosaurs went extinct. Plus, that Mini is selling pretty well."

"You can thank Mark Wahlberg for that." said J.J.

"What I'm saying is size doesn't matter." said Jimmy.

Jimmy then turned off his radio and passed the Challenger again.

"He's gonna do it again." said Victor.

"I hope your seatbelts are on." said J.J.

Lisa promptly tugged on hers.

Jimmy cut in front of the Challenger again and got on the brakes. This time, J.J. turned the wheel slightly and clipped the Nissan in the corner of the rear bumper. This sent it into a one hundred and eighty degree spin.

"I think we're going to have to fix that bumper." said Victor.

"Better than the whole car." said J.J.

"I think we need a new plan." said Jimmy.

"No! Really?" said Abel sarcasticly.

* * *

Terry pulled up to the ferry terminal as the ferry approached the dock. J.J. and Dexter were right behind him. Baricza was next followed by Jacob who was limping his Mustang into the terminal.

"How about I drive the next island?" asked Lisa.

"By all means." said Victor.

As the rest of the field entered the terminal, Terry walked over to Jacob's Mustang.

"Here he comes." said Jacob.

"Probably coming to gloat." said Charlie.

"Might as well get it over with." said Jacob as he rolled down his window.

Terry walked up to the window and said "When you get on the ferry, pop the hood and we'll see what happened."

* * *

Minutes later, the ferry was leaving for Molokai. As it was setting off, Baker and Jimmy reached the terminal.

The men got out of their cars. "Dammit, we missed it!" groused Young.

"Couldn't you have jumped your car onto it?" asked Abel.

"What do you think this is? A movie?" asked Jimmy. "At best, this is an oddly written fanfic."

"I'll call the State Police for an airlift." said Baker. He took out his cell phone and dialled. "Hello, this is Agent P.C. Baker of the U.S. Marshals." he said. "Yes, I need an airlift from Maui to Molokai." he said. "Uh, we're pursuing a fugitive from justice." he said. "We can't afford to wait for the next ferry." he said. "Screw you!" he said.

He hung up and turned to the group. "Well, I think you can see that didn't go well." he said.

* * *

On the ferry, the Mustang's hood was up. Terry, J.J, Marcie, and Kurt were under it looking at the engine. Jacob and Charlie were sitting nearby.

"I can see where it happened." said Kurt.

"Yeah, that's obvious." said Marcie. "The oil came from this crack between the block and the manifold."

"Looks like the gasket split." said J.J.

"I don't think we can let him drive this." said Terry.

"No, he'll ruin the engine." said Kurt.

"I'll tell him." said J.J. "I think I can handle him."

Meanwhile, Kurt joined his father and brother on the upper deck. "We just looked over the Mustang." he said. "Jacob blew a head gasket. He's out of this one."

"Not much of a surprise." said Dexter. "He's always pushing that Mustang harder than he should."

"I'm surprised this hasn't happened earlier." said Max.

"In any case, I heard about the CHiPpie taking on that Monte Carlo." said Dexter. "I think we should keep an eye on him."

"I didn't see the Monte or that Z-Car on the ferry." said Max. "However, I don't think we should count them out yet. Just keep your eyes open for them."

"I don't think we're going to see them again until Oahu." said Kurt.

* * *

The ferry landed in Kaunakakai. Seven of the cars drove off and raced for the highway. Jacob, however, limped his car off the ferry and towards the local garage.

When Jacob got to the garage, he climbed out and said to the mechanic "Hey, can you do a quick repair on a head gasket?"

On the highway, Lisa and Max started to take the lead.

"Wow, she's good." said Kurt.

"Yeah, let's see how good." said Max.

He pushed his accelerator to the floor and started to pass the Challenger.

"Big Poppa coming up." said J.J.

"I see him." said Lisa.

Max passed her.

"I thought you said you saw him?" said J.J.

"I didn't say I could do anything about it." said Lisa.

"Come on, let's get him!" said Victor.

"That was easy." said Kurt.

"The best moves are." said Max.

"Go on! Pass him!" yelled Victor.

"DAH DAH DAH!" called Lisa.

Lisa was now wearing a powder blue mask and cape like Victor's with "Chaos" across the forehead.

"Miss Chaos is in the house!" said J.J.

"What just happened?" asked Kurt.

"I dunno." said Max. "Let's see if it means something."

Miss Chaos swerved the car through thick traffic. Meanwhile, Max pulled onto the shoulder and bypassed the traffic.

"Yeah, she's good." said Max. "She didn't take the easy way and she's handling it."

"Dad, look out." said Kurt as he pointed ahead.

Max swerved back into traffic to avoid hitting a stalled car. They both ended up coming out of the crowd at the same time.

"Go get him." said Victor.

"See ya." said Miss Chaos.

"Looks like there's more to these guys than I thought." said Max.

* * *

Dexter ended up getting pulled over.

"Any ideas?" asked Nina.

"Nothing comes to mind." said Dexter.

The police officer walked up to the window. "May I see your license?" he asked.

Suddenly, another driver crashed into the back of the patrol car. He then grazed the officer, knocking him to the ground.

"Oh God." said Nina as she got out of the RX-8.

Dexter climbed out too and checked on the officer. "He's alive." he said. "Unconcious, but alive."

The other driver shakily got out of his car. "Wha-what happened?" he asked.

"Are you some kind of goddamn idiot?" yelled Dexter. "You're lucky you didn't kill someone! You need to pay attention when you're behind the wheel!"

"Sorry. Sorry." said the driver.

"You know what you can do right now?" yelled Dexter. "You keep an eye on this man! You make sure he doesn't die from your stupidity!"

Nina got into the wrecked cruiser and picked up the microphone for the radio. "We've got an officer down." she said. "There was a car accident just south of Kualapu'u. Send an ambulance."

Dexter dragged the injured police officer off of the road and behind the RX-8. He ran over to the driver and said "We're going for help. If the ambulance gets here first, you help them. Got it?"

"Yeah. Yeah." said the driver.

Dexter and Nina got back into the RX-8 and drove off.

"Wait, why did both of them have to go?" asked the driver.

On the road, Dexter raced along and let out a sigh of relief. "That was so close!" he said.

"Is that cop going to be alright?" asked Nina.

"Right now, we can only hope." said Dexter.

* * *

The resort of Kaluako'i served as the finish line for this leg of the race. The calm of the afternoon was broken by the roar of two engines: Billy's Subaru and Terry's Javelin.

"He's still back there!" yelled Dolores.

"Hang on, I'll try to get away from him." said Billy.

"I don't think you're gonna pass him on this road." said Mel.

"Don't have to." said Terry. "I just have to finish less than twenty seconds after him."

Billy pushed the accelerator to the floor and started to pull away. They raced around a turn and came by a golf course.

"Finish line. Finish line." muttered Billy.

"Where the frick is the finish?" asked Terry.

Just then, a golf cart pulled into their path.

"Billy!" screamed Dolores.

Billy turned the wheel and swerved around the cart. He ended up driving into a sand trap.

Terry swerved around the golf cart the other way and turned back onto the road. "There!" he said.

"Looks like we got twenty seconds." said Mel as he looked at Billy's Subaru. He and Terry then high-fived each other.

Terry came to a screeching halt at the finish. Pete was waiting for them. "Very impressive!" he said.

"I try." said Terry.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Jacob drove into the finish in his Mustang. He climbed out and asked "So, who won?" Terry raised his hand. Jacob groaned.

Dexter walked over to Nina. "I just got off the phone with the hospital." he said. "The cop's gonna be okay. The other driver's been charged."

"Oh, that's good." said Nina.

"Wait, what was that?" asked Max.

"We got pulled over." said Dexter. "While the cop was asking me for my license..." He punched his hand and continued. "...someone else smashed into his cruiser. We called an ambulance and told the other driver to watch over him. Freakiest thing ever."

"But you're alright?" asked Max.

"Yeah, I think so." said Dexter.

"One for one, looks like we've tied it up." said Jill.

"I don't know what Terry's done to that Jav." said Baricza. "But it appears to have given him a decided advantage."

"You weren't so bad yourself." said Marcie.

"We should probably get more cops into the Cannonball." said Jill.

"Well, it's been fun." said Baricza. "I wish you good luck in the rest of your little venture and leave you in a good place for it."

"Leaving so soon?" asked Marcie.

"Yeah, don't you want to join us for the remainder?" asked Jill.

"Nah, I gotta get back." said Baricza. "I'd rather not explain to my wife what I'm doing with two strange girls on the wrong island."

Jill and Marcie looked at him in shock.

"Took me five minutes to get out of that sand trap." said Billy. "Kind of hard to believe these things are used for rallying."

"Well, those are specially prepared." said Kurt.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Billy.

"Hey, Max." said J.J.

"Yeah?" asked Max.

"I think that Monte Carlo is going to be trouble." said J.J.

"Yeah and he's got a friend." said Max. "I'm sure you remember the Nissan."

"Terry does." said J.J. as he looked to Mr. Fletcher.

"What do you think they want?" asked Max.

"I don't know." said J.J. "They're obviously after us for some reason."

"One thing about that bothers me." said Max. "How did they know we were coming here to Maui?"

"That is a good question." said J.J. "Anyway, I think we should keep an eye out for those two."

"Good idea." said Max. "And we act as a distraction if we see them?"

"That's the plan." said J.J.

"Well, on to Oahu then." said Max.

In memory of:

Dom Deluise.

1933-2009

and Farrah Fawcett

1947-2009


	6. The Final Lap

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Chapter Six: The Final Lap

AN:This will mark the end of the race. However, the story is not over just yet. I have an epilogue planned. Despite my problems with writer's block with this story, the epilogue will not take long as I've already written it.  
Anyway, on to the story.

Baker and his group landed in Honalulu. They watched as the Monte Carlo and 350Z were unloaded from the plane.

"I think if you call the local police, they'll lend us a hand." said Abel.

"Already on it." said Young. He took out his cell phone and started dialling.

"This is the last island." said Jimmy. "If we don't get him now, we'll never get him."

"I'm aware of that." said Baker through gritted teeth.

"Apparently not too aware." said Jimmy. "You seem to lack motivation."

"And you're going to lack freedom if you don't watch..." said Baker.

"Knock it off, you two!" yelled Abel. "Jimmy's right. This is our last chance to get Dexter. We can't afford to fall apart now."

"Yeah, right now I'm glad we're in different cars." said Baker.

"Good, some time apart should help." said Jimmy.

Young got off the phone. "Well, Honalulu PD can't help." he said.

"Why not?" asked Abel.

"There's a car theft ring operating on the island." said Young. "All of their personel is focused on that. They're only putting their patrol officers on alert."

"Maybe we'll get lucky." said Jimmy. "Maybe the theives will steal one of the race cars."

* * *

Elsewhere in Honalulu, the Cannonballers and Dexter's crew were gathered. Jacob and Kurt were working under the hood of Jacob's Mustang.

Danny had the tailgate of his Land Rover open. Batman was sitting inside playing his guitar. "'Cause the waiting is the hardest part." he sang. He then stopped playing and looked away like he was trying to remember something. "I can't remember the words to this song." he sang to the same tune.

"Everyday, you see one more card." said Dexter.

"Thanks." said Batman.

"Okay, the new gasket looks good." said Kurt as he tightened the last bolt on Jacob's engine.

"Great, let's hope it holds this time." said Jacob.

"Yeah, just don't push it too hard." said Kurt.

"You've got to be kidding me." said J.J. as he and Max looked over the map.

"I can't explain it either." said Max.

"That should definitely be our second checkpoint." said J.J.

"Just for the humor of it, I agree." said Max.

"My man Chris just flew in from the big island." said Dexter. "He'll be the point man at the first checkpoint."

"Okay, people. Listen up!" yelled Mad Dog. "As you may know, we are now one to one, advantage no one. Whoever wins this next leg wins the whole shebang for their team. This time, the course is to circumnavigate the island of Oahu. The first checkpoint will be Makapuu Point which is east of Honalulu. The second checkpoint and you're gonna love this, is the town of Waimea on the north coast."

"What?" asked Dexter.

"How's that again?" asked Jill.

"Turns out there are several locations across the state called Waimea." said Mad Dog.

"Pretty popular, don't you think?" asked Max.

"The final checkpoint is the finish." said Mad Dog. "And that is right here, Aloha Tower. With any luck, this should be done by nightfall. Everybody ready?"

Everybody cheered.

"Alright, let's go!" yelled Mad Dog.

On their way to the cars, J.J. and Max stopped next to each other. "Remember the plan?" asked J.J.

"Of course." said Max. "Keep an eye out for a black Monte Carlo and a white Z-car."

"Good." said J.J.

* * *

Baker checked his cell phone. "Nina just texted me." he said. "The race is on."

"Now, Baker." said Young. "This is our last chance. It's now or never."

"Thanks." said Baker. "You've only reminded me about ten times now."

He put the Monte Carlo in gear and drove off. Jimmy and Abel followed in the 350Z.

"Think we're up to it?" asked Abel.

"I've seen what we're dealing with." said Jimmy. "I think I can handle them now. Car's repaired. Only problem is the element of surprise."  


* * *

Terry sped out of Honalulu in the Javelin.

"You know, I've been thinking of coming back." said Mel.

"Diaper duty got to you?" asked Terry.

"Well, there's that." said Mel. "And I've been hearing all these stories from you guys. You're having all the freaking fun without me."

"Maybe next year, you can join Sarah and me." said Terry.

"Wait, is that Dexter?" asked Mel.

"Son of a bitch, it is." said Terry.

"I still can't believe it took us so long to get out of Honalulu." said Nina.

"Gimme a break." said Dexter. "It's not my locale."

Terry then raced by him.

"Ah shit." said Dexter. He put the RX-8 into the next gear and took off after him.

The Javelin weaved in and out of traffic with the RX-8 close behind.

"Oh man, he's really sticking in there." said Mel.

"He'd better back off." said Terry. "He's making me nervous."

"Are you just going to ride his bumper?" asked Nina.

"Not a lot of room to pass." said Dexter. "Hang on, watch me blow him away."

Dexter swerved into another lane and passed another car that separated him from Terry.

"Now to put him in my..." said Dexter. Suddenly, another car swerved into his path forcing him to hit the brakes.

Terry raced on and laughed.

"So, when does the blowing away part come?" asked Nina.

"Soon." said Dexter as he steered around the car.

* * *

Somewhere west of Hanauma Bay, J.J. drove down the highway.

"So, who do you think had the more successful solo career while the Eagles were disbanded?" asked Victor. "Don Henley or Glenn Frey?"

"Tough call." said J.J. "Let's just be glad they've reunited and leave it at that."

"Nobody factors in Joe Walsh?" asked Lisa.

Behind them was the Monte Carlo.

"There's that Challenger again." said Baker.

"Think we can catch him?" asked Young.

"We dumped the excess equipment." said Baker. "We should be able to keep up at least."

As Baker maneuvered through traffic, Victor looked in his rearview. "Uh, J.J?" he asked. "There's that Monte again."

J.J. checked his rearview mirror. "Just doesn't give up, does he?" asked J.J.

He then floored the accelerator and swerved around a couple of slower cars.

"Brace yourself." said Baker. He tried to follow.

"Is this guy a friend of Dexter's?" asked Lisa.

"More likely, he's with the police." said J.J. "He's been on our tail since the big island. Why is he so obsessed with us?"

"I'd be interested in knowing what Dexter's been up to." said Victor.

"I see chucking the gear worked." said Baker. "We've got him cold. This will be the one that does it for us."

Suddenly, J.J. changed lanes and another car stopped to avoid hitting him. Unfortunately, the car stopped right in front of Baker. Unable to stop in time, he swerved onto the shoulder. He then went a little too far and drove into the bushes.

"I think we lost him." said Lisa.

"I hope I don't have to do that again." said J.J.

Baker and Young looked at each other.

"At least we know we can catch him." said Baker.

* * *

The Land Rover pulled into the first checkpoint and stopped next to Chris.

"Hey, is there a restroom near here?" asked Danny. "Batman forgot to take a piss before we started."

"There's a restaurant just down the road." said Chris.

"Thank you." said Danny. He drove off.

He pulled over at the restaurant. After he cut the engine, he, Mad Dog, and Batman jumped out and ran inside.

"Hey, you got a bathroom?" asked Batman.

"Customers only." said the hostess.

"I'd like the biggest soda you've got." said Mad Dog. "There, we're customers. Happy now?"

"Down the hall." said the hostess.

Outside, a pair of men approached the Land Rover. "This is gonna be easy." said one.

Inside, a waiter brought Mad Dog his soda. "Thank you." said Mad Dog as he received the soda.

"Hope we're not going to have to stop for you." said Danny.

"Right." said Mad Dog. "Hey, did you set the security system?"

"Good point." said Danny. He took out his remote and pushed a button.

A light came on in the Land Rover. One of the men grabbed the door handle. He then let out a scream when he got shocked.

Danny and Mad Dog looked in his direction.

The other man took a crowbar and swung it at the driver's side window. It bounced off and the first man ducked to avoid getting hit.

"I see your work was well spent." said Danny.

The man with the crowbar jammed it into the door and tried to pry it open. He got hit with a blast of tear gas and stumbled away groaning.

The other man tried to use a slimjim in the window and a bar swung out from under the truck and struck the man in the shin. He fell.

"I could watch this all day." said Mad Dog.

Batman walked up behind them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Someone's trying to break into the Rover." said Mad Dog.

"Well, shouldn't someone try to stop them?" asked Batman.

"Yeah, the truck." said Danny.

The man with the crowbar tried to go around to the other side and climb onto the roof. As he tried to smash the sunroof, the door handle was electrified again and sent him sprawling to the ground.

The other man tried to use his slimjim in the rear window. This time, he got another shot of tear gas and fell to the ground as well.

Danny, Mad Dog, and Batman walked out of the restaurant and stepped over the would-be thieves. "Excuse us, gentlemen." said Batman.

Danny disarmed the security system and opened his door. Mad Dog stepped on the thief's hand and got into the Land Rover.

* * *

Billy was racing along in his Subaru. The Offspring's "Gotta Get Away" blasted over the stereo.

"Do you always listen to The Offspring?" asked Dolores.

"Not always." said Billy. "I also like Nirvana, Green Day, The Cardigans, The Wallflowers..."

"What about the Cranberries?" asked Dolores.

"Yeah, they rock." said Billy. "I love that song of theirs, 'Zombie'."

"Even Patrick Bannon likes them, so I've heard." said Dolores.

"Hang on, we've got competition." said Billy as Jill's Evo came up behind them.

Jill pulled up alongside him. "Ever get that crazy deja vu feeling?" she asked.

"I could've sworn you asked that before." replied Billy.

"Last one to Waimea gets picked on." said Marcie.

Billy and Jill both put their cars into the next gear and tore down the road. Jill swerved into the left lane and floored it.

Billy kept his car in the fast lane and also accelerated. He glanced at Jill, then looked back down the highway.

Jill changed gears again and continued to pull away from Billy. "Smooth sailing from here." she said.

That's when Terry roared past her. Dexter was still behind him.

"Hey, Billy!" yelled Dexter as he passed his teammate. Billy just looked at him confused.

The four cars now mixed together on the highway. Terry led with Jill right behind him while Dexter and Billy brought up the rear.

"Dexter, what are you doing?" groaned Billy.

"I think we just got in the way of something else." said Marcie.

Dexter tried to make his way around Jill. "I see why Billy had so much trouble." he said.

Jill pulled alongside Terry and gave it some gas. Dexter swerved past Billy and spooked him.

"Geesh!" yelled Billy as he lost control and spun out.

"No!" yelled Dexter as he watched the Subaru spin out in his rear view.

Dexter pulled to the side of the road as Billy came to a rest at the side of the road. As soon as Billy regained his composure, he was back on the road.

"Just like I said." Billy told Dolores.

Dexter watched as they drove by. Billy and Dolores both gave him the finger.

* * *

Somewhere outside of Ka'a'awa, another pair of car thieves found Jimmy's Nissan.

"That's nice." said one.

"This should be easy." said the other.

On a rise nearby, Jimmy and Abel looked up the road.

"I think the Cannonballers would take the 99 to Wahiawa." said Abel. "After that, they'll take the H2 back to Honalulu."

"I agree with the H2." said Jimmy. "But they might take the 803 to Wahiawa. Cole's crew would know which one to take. The Cannonballers, I dunno."

Abel lowered his gaze. "Uh, Jimmy? Your car."

One of the car thieves was unbending a wire coat hanger. "Wait 'til you see how easy this is." he said.

The other opened the unlocked driver's side door.

"That was easier than I thought." said the first.

Jimmy then walked up behind him and grabbed him by the collar. "Didn't you see 'Mommy Dearest'?" he asked. "No wire hangers ever!"

He then shoved the car thief into the side of the Z-car. The man then slid to the ground.

"Jimmy!" cheered the other thief.

Jimmy grabbed him by the shirt and held him against the window frame on the door. "Listen, you little punk." he said. "If you steal the car of a mere mortal on the street, they might end up crying in despair and cursing life itself. Or they might call their insurance company and the local police force and hope for justice. But if you steal my car and I find you, I'm gonna break your momma's heart. Understand?"

The man nodded.

"Good." said Jimmy. He released the man's shirt and let him stand. For some reason, his legs buckled and he collapsed.

Jimmy got into the Nissan. Abel followed.

"Want me to call this in?" asked Abel.

"They're going to complicate things." said Jimmy. "Getting them out of the way would be a good idea."

* * *

Max led a local police Impala on a merry chase along the northern point of the island.

"Dad, aren't you gonna pull over?" asked Kurt.

"I respect the law, Kurt." said Max. "Really, I do. But I'd rather not explain why I'm on the wrong island exceeding the speed limit."

"So, you're gonna lose him?" asked Kurt.

"That remains to be seen." said Max.

He pushed the accelerator to the floor and tried to pull away from the police officer.

"Hope you got your seat belt on." said Max.

He then turned off the road and raced down a dirt road. The officer stayed with him. A washed out bridge was up ahead.

"Dad!" yelled Kurt.

"Hold on." said Max.

He then ramped off the slope and jumped the gap. He landed with a crash.

"Whoa." said Kurt.

"Yeah, you gotta hand it to the Germans." said Max. "They build sturdy cars."

The officer then jumped the gap and landed with a crunch.

"Of course, so do Americans." said Max.

He then steered back onto the dirt road and continued back to the highway.

"I'm gonna let you in on our advantage." said Max. "This Audi has a Quattro all wheel drive system while that Impala is a front driver. That means we can better handle the rough stuff."

He then tore around a corner at high speed. The Impala raced around the same corner and spun out.

"And that's how you lose a pursuit." said Max.

Just then, two more Impalas raced down the road ahead of them and turned to form a roadblock.

"Uh oh." said Max.

"Dad, the rock." said Kurt as he pointed to a slanted rock off to the side.

Max steered for the rock and ramped off of it at high speed. He managed to clear the Impalas and land safely. He then drove onto the highway and continued.

"Good eye, son." said Max.

"Yeah, no problem whatsoever." said Kurt.

* * *

Jacob entered the town of Waimea and found the checkpoint. Terry was checking the map laid out on the hood of his Javelin.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd show up." said Terry.

"What are you still doing here?" asked Jacob.

"Navigating." said Mel. "We discovered we were so far ahead, we had time to really plan."

"And now it's come back to bite you." said Jacob.

"It was time we had." said Terry. "Where's your time?"

"We can make it up." said Jacob.

"Want to put that to the test?" asked Terry.

"Hell yeah!" said Jacob.

"Alright, first one to Wahiawa wins." said Mel.

"Stakes?" asked Jacob.

"How about just pride?" asked Terry.

"Sounds fine." said Jacob.

"Then let's go." said Terry.

* * *

Billy pulled over at a gas station outside of Hale'iwa. He and Dolores got out.

"That boxer engine is pretty thirsty, isn't it?" asked Dolores.

"Thought the management computer would work better than that." said Billy.

"I'll pump it, you pay." said Dolores as she got the pump. "High octane?"

"Boy, do you know me." said Billy.

Billy stepped into the store. Dolores inserted the nozzle into the filling port in the Subaru. A couple of minutes later, a car pulled in and a pair of tough men climbed out.

"Hey, that's a nice car." said one.

"It's my boyfriend's." said Dolores. "He can give you the details."

"Thanks, but I don't think we can wait that long." said the other man. He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"This nozzle that I'm holding dispenses a liquid that's both flammable and explosive." she said. "You really do not want to be sprayed with it, but that is what's going to happen if you don't release me."

"I'd like to see which your boyfriend is gonna chose." said the man. "His girl or his wheels? If he picks the former, can I have you?"

Billy came from behind and grabbed his wrist. "How about I take both?" he asked. He then pulled the guy's hand from Dolores' shoulder and rammed it into his face.

The other guy tried to make his escape. Billy then rolled over the hood of the Subaru and went after him. As the would-be thief reached his car, Billy grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, his partner tried to attack Dolores, but she managed to get a hold of the squigee for the window washer and hit him in the face with it. He dropped to the pavement with his hands over his face. "Ah, my eyes!" he yelled as he tried to get the window washer out of them.

Billy's opponent tried to go at him again. Billy responded by grabbing his wrist and twisting it. The sound of the thief's forearm breaking was quickly joined by his scream. He fell to the ground cringing in pain.

Billy looked down at him and said "When you get out of jail, consider another career."

He then returned to the Subaru. "You got back quickly." said Dolores.

"Long line." said Billy. "That was when I realized I could just use the card reader at the pump."

"Are these those car thieves I've been hearing about on the news?" asked Dolores.

"Wouldn't doubt it." said Billy. "How about we leave a little present for the cops?"

Minutes later, Billy was leaving the gas station. A police car was pulling in.

The two officers climbed out. "What was this about a fight?" asked one.

"Over here." said the other.

They walked over to find the car thieves resting against their car. In the door, Dolores had scratched a gift tag reading "From: Us. To: The police".

"Well, isn't that generous." said one officer.

"Nice workmanship too." said his partner.

* * *

Terry and Jacob had just entered Wahiawa. Jacob made it to the Arby's first and slid into a parking space. Terry raced in right next to him.

Both drivers got out of their cars. So did Charlie.

"Well, things are looking up." said Jacob.

"Damn." said Terry. "Looks like you got lucky."

"I'm just gonna get luckier." said Jacob. "So, who's up for lunch?"

"Me!" said Charlie.

"I suppose I could use a shake." said Terry. "Mel, you want anything?"

"No, I'll stay with the car." said Mel.

Terry, Jacob, and Charlie entered the restaurant. Mel sat back in the Javelin and fiddled with the satellite radio.

A car carrying two men pulled into the parking lot. The two men walked over to Jacob's Mustang and looked it over.

"Nice Mustang."

"Kenny Brown. Nice indeed."

"This should net us a pretty penny."

Mel looked in their direction as one tried the driver's side door. Unfortunately, Jacob had left it unlocked. The man easily got in and started to hotwire the car. The other man returned to their car.

Mel got out and tried to stop the thief, but the man had gotten the Mustang started. Seeing Mel approach, the thief put the car in reverse and peeled out.

Mel turned to the other thief and ran at him. Unlike Jacob, he did have the foresight to lock his door. However, he fumbled with his keys and was unable to open the door before Mel tackled him.

Jacob, Charlie, and Terry came running out of the restaurant.

"Hey, that's my car!" yelled Jacob.

"They're heading south." said Terry.

"Let's nail 'im." said Mel as he got back to his feet.

Terry and Mel jumped back into the Javelin and took off after the Mustang. Jill was passing by and pulled alongside.

"What's going on?" yelled Marcie.

"Jacob's car got stolen!" replied Terry. "We're mounting a rescue operation!"

"Cool!" yelled Jill.

The three cars raced out of town and entered the H2 highway. The car thief quickly blended in with normal traffic. Jill managed to catch up with him and get in front of him.

"Better than Jacob." she said.

"I think I have an idea." said Terry. "But I need to have you on board with this."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" asked Mel.

"Here's what I want you to do." said Terry. "I'm going to climb onto the roof while you slide into the driver's seat."

"What are you going to do on the roof?" yelled Mel.

"You leave that to me." said Terry.

The thief tried to make his way around the Evolution, but Jill cut him off each time.

"Come on, give it up already." she said.

Terry caught up with the Mustang and said "Okay, grab the wheel."

Mel reached over and grabbed the steering wheel. Terry then let go and grabbed the roof.

"Now, the gas." he said.

Mel looped his foot over the center console and pressed the accelerator as Terry removed his foot.

"Stay alongside him." said Terry.

He climbed out of the window and pulled himself up to the roof. Mel slid into the driver's seat.

Terry laid on his chest on the roof and looked to the Mustang. He got up onto his hands and knees, then into a crouching position. He then did the unthinkable. He jumped to the Mustang's roof.

While he was holding on for dear life, the thief managed to get around Jill and try to make a break for it.

"Looks like it's all or nothing." said Terry to himself. He then slid down the windshield and grabbed the hood.

The car thief tried to shake him off by swerving, but failed. He finally spun out with Terry still clinging to the hood.

Mel and Jill brought their cars to a halt right next to them.

Jacob and Charlie pulled up in the thieves' car with the other thief tied up in the back. The two of them climbed out.

"You'd better not have hurt my car!" said Jacob.

Mel jumped out of the Javelin and ran over to Terry. "Holy shit!" he yelled. "That was amazing! I can't believe you stopped him!"

"Me neither." said Terry. "I'm just glad I stopped him because I had no idea what the hell I was gonna do."

Jill drove around them and made for Honalulu.

"Hey, what do you say we leave a little present for the cops and follow those two?" asked Mel.

"Sounds good to me." said Charlie.

* * *

After entering Honalulu, J.J. pulled up to a traffic light as it turned red.

"How much farther is it?" asked Lisa.

"About ten miles." said J.J. "I hope we're in first."

That was when Dexter pulled alongside in his RX-8.

"Oh God." groaned Victor.

J.J. rolled down his window.

"Unbelievable." said Dexter. "After four islands, it all comes down to ten miles."

"Looks like it's a sprint." said J.J.

"Head to head, just the way I like it." said Dexter.

Behind them, Baker pulled up in the Monte Carlo.

"That's them!" he said. "That's them!"

"Finally." said Young.

"Let's go get them." said Baker as he went for the door handle.

"Don't bother." said Young. "The light's about to change."

In the Challenger, Lisa looked over her shoulder at the Monte Carlo.

"Guys, is that the Monte Carlo that's been chasing us over the last three islands?" she asked.

Victor looked. "I think it is." he said.

The light turned green and two engines roared. The Challenger and RX-8 took off in a cloud of tire smoke. Baker floored his accelerator as well and took off after them.

The Hemi-powered drone and the rotary rocket tore down the street trying to escape the Chevy. They were also making their last effort to best each other.

"Man, those guys are fast." said Young.

As J.J. and Dexter approached the next intersection, the light quickly turned yellow.

"Yellow!" yelled Lisa.

"I know." said J.J.

"Whoever sets the timing on these things should be shot." said Victor.

"Hit the brakes!" yelled Nina.

"Not with victory on the line." said Dexter.

J.J. looked to the left and saw a tractor trailer approaching the intersection.

Nina got even more tense.

The light turned red.

The two cars tore through anyway. The tractor trailer got on its brakes and slid into the intersection. Baker hit his own brakes to avoid the collision.

After the Monte came to a stop, Baker groaned "Godammit!"

* * *

Max raced down the highway in his Audi.

"According to the GPS, we're almost there." said Kurt.

"Ha, told you your old man still had it." said Max.

Just then, Jimmy steered through traffic and lined up the Audi in his sights. "Looks like we're having German tonight." he said.

"Careful, he's bigger than you." said Abel.

"Not a problem." said Jimmy. He turned on his CB radio and called up Max. "Hello, there." he said.

"Let me guess." said Max. "You're the one who's been attacking our guys in the Z-Car."

"You guess right." said Jimmy.

"Well, let's get it over with then." said Max. "I'd like to see how a wheelman handles a stuntman."

"Fine by me." said Jimmy.

He quickly pushed the accelerator to the floor and aimed for the Audi's rear bumper.

"That's it." said Max. "Show me you love me."

Jimmy made contact with Max's rear bumper. Max handled the bump easily. Jimmy rammed him again. This made Max waver a little.

"Dad?" asked Kurt.

"Hang on, son." said Max.

Jimmy pulled back, then raced forward again. This time, he caused the Audi to spin out. Max let the car spin, then corrected after spinning three hundred and sixty degrees.

"You alright, Kurt?" asked Max.

"I don't know." moaned Kurt.

"A little Danny Sullivan move right there." said Max.

Max pulled alongside the 350Z and looked Jimmy in the eyes.

"Nice knowing you." said Max.

He then swerved into the Nissan, moving it towards the shoulder. He then pulled away and swerved towards him again. This time, the Nissan almost spun out.

"One more and we're toast." said Abel.

"Wait." said Jimmy.

Max pulled away, then swerved towards him again. This time, Jimmy hit the brakes and Max missed him.

"Uh oh." said Max.

Jimmy pulled alongside his left. "Big luxury car, huh?" he said into his radio. "Seems like life's just like high school. What are the rich kids wearing? Where are the rich kids living? What are the rich kids driving? Guess there's just one thing to do: graduate."

He then swerved towards the Audi again. This time, he hit something else before he could make contact.

"What the..?" he asked.

He looked to see what he had hit. It turned out to be Danny's Land Rover.

"What do you guys say?" asked Danny.

"Take this sucker down." said Mad Dog. Batman just gave a thumbs down.

Danny forced his way next to the Nissan and gave it a quick shove. Max pulled back a little to let him work.

Danny swerved into the Nissan and shoved him over a little. He then swerved away, then back into the Z-Car. He then pulled away and rammed the Nissan again. The Z-Car lost a side mirror in the impact.

Danny got on his radio. "I heard your little conversation with Max." he said. "Well, here's my philosphy. The way I see it, you can hold yourself to the adage that the nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down or...you can be the hammer."

He then swerved towards Jimmy again and knocked him into the oncoming lane. He ended up driving towards a pickup truck, eliciting a scream from Abel. Jimmy swerved to avoid a collision and ended up driving right off the road.

The Nissan hit a decently sized rock and flipped over. The car hit the ground several times over the next few seconds before coming to a rest in a heap some distance from the road.

"Damn." said Jimmy. "I liked this car."

* * *

Closer to Aloha Tower, J.J. and Dexter continued to maneuver through traffic.

"We're getting closer." said Victor.

"We have to win this one!" said Lisa.

"All or nothing, baby." said Dexter. "All or nothing."

The two cars raced into the final turn. The Mazda drifted wide while the Dodge got under control quickly.

"Home stretch!" called J.J.

The two cars raced towards the finish side by side. The Mazda was slowly eating into the Challenger's lead.

"Almost there." said Dexter.

The Mazda started to pass the Challenger.

"I think you need this." said Victor as he presented the Chaos mask.

J.J. looked. "Nah, that's your thing." he said.

"Getting a sense of deja vu." said Dexter.

Suddenly, the nitrous pressure gauge snapped to zero.

"No no NO!" yelled Dexter.

"What?" asked Nina.

"We're out of nitrous!" he said.

Now, the Challenger started to pull ahead.

"Come on, baby." begged Victor. "Come on, baby."

The Challenger zipped over the finish line mere feet ahead of the Mazda. Both drivers got on the brakes.

J.J. howled with delight. Victor and Lisa cheered.

Dexter just shook his head. "Damn." he muttered.

* * *

The rest of the field had already shown up by the time Danny and Max got there.

Mel stared at the damage to the two vehicles as their occupants climbed out. "What happened to you guys?" he asked.

"Z-car." said Max.

"Scratched." said Danny as he dragged his finger across his throat.

"Alright." said Mel.

"After all that, you guys came out the winners." said Dexter. "Looks like there's a lot more to racing in the street than what I've experienced up to now. So, what do you want as a reward?"

"How about our stuff back?" asked Marcie.

"Excuse me?" asked Dexter.

"She wants her stuff back." said Nina. "Give it to her."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" asked Dexter.

"The night I raced Billy," said Jill "we got back to our hotel and found our stuff had been taken. The hotel manager said he saw a street race car leave. No one else knew we'd be out of the room or where we were staying. So, who does that leave us with?"

"Wasn't me." said Dexter.

"Oh, just admit it." said Nina.

"Seriously, it wasn't me." said Dexter.

"It wasn't." said Billy. "After the race, we went to an empty parking lot to work on my drifting."

"What?" asked Monkey.

"I saw he needed the practice." said Dexter. "Just ask the security guards. They'll vouch for me."

"Wait, are you sure about that?" asked J.J.

"Yeah, are you?" asked Nina.

"Positive." said Dexter. "Kurt and I were helping Billy learn how to drift. We dropped off Nina and Dolores at home." He then looked to Jacob and Charlie and asked "Where did you guys go?"

Jacob and Charlie looked at each other guiltily.

"Look, just explain yourself to them." said Nina.

"Where did you guys go?" repeated Dexter.

"Uh...we..." stammered Jacob.

"Oh, you son of a bitch." said Dexter. "Sorry, dad."

"Justified." said Max.

"A-ha." said Victor.

"Look, it was just a joke." said Charlie. "We wanted to show them who was in charge around here."

"And when were you going to give it back?" asked Dexter.

"We were considering the right time." said Jacob.

"That's now." said Dexter. "Give them back their stuff or else!"

"So that's why all that bad stuff happened to them. Karma." said Pete.

Charlie and Jacob sighed. "It's in a storage locker in Waimea. We'll return it when we get there." said Jacob.

"Good." said Jill.

"How do I hook up with these guys?" asked Dexter.

"Well, I think we're done here." said J.J.

"Back to the airport I guess." said Terry.

Danny and Mad Dog got back into the Land Rover.

"So, what do you think?" asked Mad Dog.

"It's a decent daily driver." said Danny. "But as a race vehicle, I think I'll stick with the sports cars. I've got a guy with a serious tab. He's got connections."

Jill started the Evo and took off. However, only the rear wheels peeled out.

"Hey, Dex. Did you see that?" asked Billy.

"What?" asked Dexter.

"The Evo's front wheels didn't dig in." said Billy. "The car must have been converted to rear drive."

"No wonder she drifted better than you." said Dolores.

"We could've avoided this whole mess if Jacob had raced her." said Kurt.

Nina went for the Mazda's door handle.

"Wait." said Dexter.

"What?" asked Nina.

"What was that back there?" asked Dexter. "You kept telling me to fess up to the theft?"

"I wanted you to come clean." said Nina.

"About what?" asked Dexter. "I didn't do it! It was Jacob and Charlie!"

"This is not going to end well." said Max.

"I thought it would work better if you just confessed to smooth things over." said Nina.

"I'm not going to confess to something I didn't do!" said Dexter. "The thing is you didn't trust me! You didn't even bother to ask if I did it!"

"If you had and I asked, would you have admitted it?" asked Nina.

"I don't know now." said Dexter. "Nina, I need a girl who trusts me and that I can trust. I think you need to think about that."

He then got into the Mazda.

"Just to be clear, do you trust me?" Billy asked Dolores.

"Always." said Dolores.

"Back atcha." said Billy who leaned over and kissed her.

"What do you think of what just happened?" asked Kurt.

"I'll give it a week." said Max. "See what happens after that."

Dexter and his team drove off and left Nina there. As they left, she got on her cell phone.

* * *

Back at the intersection, Young got on his cell phone while Baker looked around. At the crash site, Abel answered his phone. "Abel." he said.

"It's Young. Things just went south. Big time."

"This is going to send it straight to Antarctica." said Abel. "One of the Cannonballers ran us off the road. Madison's slightly injured. The Z-car's toast."

"Well, we couldn't get Cole to admit to anything on tape." said Young as Baker started to smile. "Worse yet, he just broke up with Jankowski. She was a little too aggressive with her prodding."

"Well, where does that leave us?" asked Abel.

"Square one!" said Young.

Abel glanced at Jimmy, then whispered "Should we send Madison to jail after he gets out of the hospital?"

"No no." said Young. "He fulfilled his part of the bargain. Cut him loose. Jankowski too."

"Okay." said Abel. "I'll see you back in Waimea."

They both hung up.

"Sorry, Baker." said Young. "Looks like we've hit a dead end."

"Maybe not." said Baker. He pointed up at the traffic light. Attached to it was a camera for identifying red light runners.

AN:Please leave a review. Also, remember that the epilogue is coming up.


	7. Epilogue

Cannonball Run 2008: Hawaiian Tropic

Epilogue

In April of 2009, J.J. and Victor were preparing the Challenger for that year's Cannonball.

"So, Lisa quit as a race official." said J.J. "Any idea of what she's going to do now?"

"There was talk of her entering the race." said Victor. "But she couldn't find a teammate and she's not confident she can do it alone."

"Jill did." said J.J. "Then again, Lisa's not Jill."

Just then, two black Crown Victorias pulled up in front of the garage. J.J. and Victor looked up at the men who climbed out and walked towards them.

Baker walked away from the men with a pair of large photographs in his hand.

"Can I help you with something?" asked J.J.

Baker took out his badge and said "Agent P.C. Baker, U.S. Marshals. This is concerning your actions in Hawaii last year."

"What about them?" asked Victor.

"The thing is this." said Baker. "You interfered with a federal investigation involving a known fugitive. Long story short..." He dropped the photos onto the fender of the Challenger. One showed the car running the red light. The other was a close up of J.J. behind the wheel. "...we have to talk."

THE END

And the start of something else.

AN:Thank you for reading. Don't worry. Cannonball Run 2009 is coming soon. I'm not going to leave you hanging after that ending.


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